274 



THE YOUNG 



NATUEALIST. 



Wharton. Immediately afterwards a 

 member accidently trod on a mole, which 

 having wandered from its hole was franti- 

 cally endeavouring to re-enter Mother 

 Earth. The little fellow was picked up 

 hardly any the worse for its mishap, and 

 another captured subsequently was 

 ruthlessly consigned to a receptacle of a 

 nature which defied all their extraordinary 

 burrowing powers. 



I think it was Sam Slick who relieved 

 himself of the sage remark that there is a 

 great deal of human nature in the world. 

 There is a point in Sam's philosophy, but 

 minus the " human" he could truthfully 

 have applied the observation in another 

 way. Certainly, I had never thought there 

 was so much of Nature in Epping Forest. 

 Byron apostrophising the ocean wrote : — 



There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, 

 There is a rapture on the lonely shore, 

 There is a society where none intrudes, 

 By the deep sea, and music in its roar. 



The " deep sea" 'tis true is absent, but 

 the pathless woods are here to perfection, 

 with the advantage, if you so will it, that 

 civilization is within hailing distance. As 

 a matter of fact, the Forest is very imper- 

 fectly known to the average Londoner. A 

 trip to Chingford, Loughton, Woodford, 

 or any of the other stopping places here- 

 abouts, and a limited migration to the 

 woodland conveys but a very poor idea of 

 the many and varied beauties with which 

 the Forest abounds. Let the visitor only 

 eschew the time-honoured custom of linger- 

 ing in the close vicinity of some hostelry, 

 and boldly making for the unknown territory, 

 he will be amply rewarded for the venture. 

 It may appear somewhat strange to regard 

 London people and especially those in the 

 Eastern part of it, as unacquainted with 

 Epping Forest proper, yet it is none the 

 less a fact that they are so. But this is by 

 the way. 



The two groups of naturalists having met 



as described, the search was renewed with 

 vigour, notwithstanding a steady rain had 

 set in. I might here say that the weather 

 was most unfavourable for the foray. The 

 exceptionally dry season had placed fungi 

 at a premium ; and the wet, when it did set 

 in, came just when it was not wanted. 

 When the earth has been the recipient of 

 copious rainfalls, and when this has been 

 followed by a dry day or two, then your 

 true fungi-hunter is in his zenith. He takes 

 the war path ardently confident that on his 

 'return he can adorn his wigwam with many 

 a trophy. Fate ruled it otherwise on 

 Saturday, but as it was, the results 

 achieved equalled the anticipations of all. 

 Neither must the pleasure of good compani- 

 onship be forgotten. The repevtorium of the 

 worthy president was practically inexhaust- 

 ible, and his comments were exceedingly 

 interesting. The same remarks applies to 

 Dr. W T harton, who like his colleague Dr. 

 Cooke is a recognised authority on Fungi. 

 The Rev. J. De Kewer Williams though not 

 a specialist in this particular, joined in the 

 proceedings with surprising alacrity, and 

 displayed a keen interest in the different 

 pecularities of vegetation. His humourous 

 sayings, his goodnatured and witty sallies, 

 tempered as they constantly were with 

 appropriate and reverent allusions to the 

 Creator whose wondrous works was the 

 object of the visit, formed one of the most 

 agreeable features of the visit. An instance 

 is perhaps worth recalling. As we were 

 approaching Beech Hill one of the number 

 enthusiastically rushed up with a rare 

 specimen of a winged insect fluttering in a 

 kind of pill box with a glass top. The 

 conversation turned on the pinning of 

 butterflies, which the reverend gentleman 

 held to be cruel, and the entomologist 

 argued to the contrary. " I have often done 

 it," said the latter, exhibiting two more 

 specimens capitally preserved, " and I dont 

 think there is any pain inflicted." "Judging 



