8
Hyaena (H. crocuta): all of which animals were inhabitants of
South Essex, together with early Man, some hundreds of thousands
of years ago.
Former human association with the Forest district is illustrated
by various exhibits.
Pre-historic man is represented by a series of palaeolithic and
neolithic flint implements and flakes from the Lea Valley, from
Leytonstone, Great Parndon, and elsewhere in the Forest neigh-
bourhood.
As a pendant to this exhibit of pre-historic flint tools, is shown
a set of specimens and photographs illustrating in detail the present-
day manufacture of gun-flints as carried on at Brandon in Suffolk,
and the more modern uses of flint in tinder-boxes and flint-lock
pistols.
In 1881. and 1882 the Essex Field Club undertook an
examination of the two early British (Pre-Roman) camps in Epping
Forest known respectively as " Ambresbury Banks " and " Loughton
Camp," and published accounts of the results of the investigation.
The interesting objects found during the excavations are shown in
table-cases under the East window, and explanatory plans and
descriptions of the two camps adjoin the exhibits.
Coming to historic times, a specially interesting exhibit is
formed by the objects discovered on the site of the Romano-British
settlement and cemetery between Chigwell and Abridge, which
comprise pottery, glass, coins, iron and lead objects, the whole
grouped in cases on and adjoining the South wall of this room:
explanatory maps and descriptions are appended. A special hand-
book describing this exhibit may be obtained of the Caretaker at the
Museum, price 6d.
Of more recent, probably medieval, date, a number of iron
relics, found during the excavation of the Banbury and Lockwood
Reservoirs at Walthamstow in the years 1899 to 1902, include such
objects, appropriate to a swampy river valley, as boathooks, an eel-
spear, a grapple, and long iron blades which may have been used to
hack away thick masses of reeds, also miscellaneous objects, a spur, a