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that not a bird was to be seen ; nevertheless the silence was occasionally broken 

 by the melody of the nuthatch, the shriek of the woodpecker, or the harsh cry of 

 the jay, and most frequently by the jocund laughter of the mycologists. 



Upon arrival at the Speech House Hotel some more traces of the old 

 Koman Road were observed. Vestiges of these roads occur in many places in the 

 forest, and exhibit a width of about eight feet, formed of cubes of conglomerate 

 or millstone grit about eight or ten inches square, with a boundary of kerbstones 

 five inches vi^ide, varying from one foot to nearly two feet long, resting upon a 

 foundation of large stones with which the kerbstones break the joints. 



The Spruce Fir ride, situated about a quarter of a mile on the eastern side 

 of the Speech House, and just beyond the archery and tennis ground, was next 

 visited. The avenue of trees extends for more than a couple of miles over hill 

 and dale, and forms a pleasant walk to "Danby Lodge,'' where are to be seen the 

 fine "Danby Beeches," distant by this route about 3J miles from Speech House. 

 A very lofty beech tree growing there on a slope of about 45° had been measured a 

 few days previously by Dr. T. A. Chapman and Mr. Moore, and found to have a 

 girth of 21 feet. Some ancient holly trees, growing in the vicinity of Speech House, 

 gave the following girths at five feet from the ground : — a double-stemmed tree, 

 7ft. Sin. ; an old knotty tree, 6ft. 9in. ; a tree with a girth of 6ft. possessed a limb 

 measuring 3ft. 5in. ; and another tree of oft. Din. had a limb attaining a girth of 

 3ft. lOin. A hawthorn tree amongst them measured 4ft. 9in. The circumference 

 of the largest beech tree here was I6ft. 4in. 



Whilst considering the subject of trees in the forest, four splendidly grown 

 oak trees must be mentioned. One grows on the side of the road leading from 

 " Fancy Colliery " to Parkend, about two miles distant from Speech House ; 

 it has a girth of 19ft. Sin. The other three are in the adjacent wood on the left ; 

 they are known as " The Three Brothers " ; the largest has a girth of 19ft., and 

 the central tree has a limb of enormous dimensions. The "Newland Oak," a 

 pollard tree, represented in the transactions of the Club for 1878, and there stated 

 to be "nearly 60ft. at the base," attains a girth of 41ft. lOin. free from any 

 knotty excrescences at the height of 5ft. from the ground. A measurement at a 

 spot a little lower, including the excrescences, gave a girth of 47ft. These 

 measurements also were taken a few days previously by Dr. T. A. Chapman and 

 Mr. Moore. The height of the bole is from 10 to 12ft.; externally it appears to be 

 a solid cylinder retaining almost the same dimensions all the way up, but upon 

 internal examination is found to be gradually becoming hollow with decay. 



In the reign of Edward VI. the forest had an extent of more than 100,000 

 acres— the whole forest is now about 25,000 acres, the woodland portion, including 

 the High Meadow Estate, being about 10,000 acres. In earlier days Gloucester 

 Bridge, now twelve miles distant, was the boundary on the south, the forest 

 occupying the triangular area included between the rivers Severn and Wye, and 

 extending as far north as Ross and Newent. At present the greater part of the 

 timber plantation is from 25 to 70 years of age, and is chiefly of oak, with a little 

 beech ; and there are a few plantations about 130 years old. Commercially it has 

 been considered more profitable (if we may venture to employ such a term when 



