30 NATURAL HISTORY 



has often told him that Queen Anne, as 

 she was journeying on the Portsmouth 

 road, did not think the forest of Wolmer 

 beneath her royal regard. For she came 

 out of the great road at Lippock^ which is 

 just by, and, reposing herself on a bank 

 smoothed for that purpose, lying about 

 half a mile to the east of Wolmer-pond, 

 and still called Queen s-bank, saw with 

 great complacency and satisfaction the 

 whole herd of red deer brought by the 

 keepers along the vale before her, con- 

 sisting then of about five hundred head. 

 A sight this worthy the attention of the 

 greatest sovereign ! But he farther adds 

 that, by means of the Waltliam blacks, or, 

 to use his own expression, as soon as 

 they began blacking, they were reduced 

 to about fifty head, and so continued 

 decreasing till the time of the late Duke 

 of Cumberland, It is now more than 

 thirty years ago that his highness sent 

 down an huntsman, and six yeomen- 

 prickers, in scarlet jackets laced with 

 gold, attended by the stag-hounds ; or- 



