president’s address. 631 
old ; and a note in my father’s game book, to the effect that 
he took me out Ferreting in 1863, shows that I had an early 
opportunity at any rate of studying the rodents, although 
I am afraid that sport rather than science was thereby 
encouraged in my youthful mind. My immediate predecessor 
in this chair, in his presidential address last year, took your 
thoughts instructively away into the Highlands of Scotland, 
and on to the precipitous and rocky islands of the West coast 
of Sutherlandshire. To-night 1 am about to invite your 
attention to no such foreign parts, but would ask you to 
accompany me to the lowlier level of our own homeland. 
The broads and rivers of our county have been fairly well 
threshed out, literally, both by scribes and anglers ; 
I purpose, therefore, to make a few remarks this evening 
upon a less threadbare though somewhat similar subject 
(so far as the Fauna and Flora are concerned), namely, 
THE RURAL ECONOMY, SPORT, AND NATURAL 
HISTORY OF EAST RUSTON COMMON. 
One of the few enclosed wet commons of any extent in 
England, the latter day history of which ought not, I think; 
to be buried in entire oblivion. 
The parish of E. Ruston (so called to distinguish it from 
Sco’ or South Ruston. near Coltishall.) is situated six miles 
south-east of North Walsham. about two miles north of 
Stalham, and less than two miles from the sea as the crow 
flies. The extent of the parish is 2494 acres, of which 
303 acres were, in 1810, allotted to the poor, and were 
subsequently enclosed and drained. Exclusive ot ditches, 
fences, and roads, there are 296^ acres of pasture, bog. and 
furze ground, and i-\ acres of arable land. Previous to 1810 
there were 7 falgates, 23 public roads, 10 private roads, 
6 footpaths, and one public bridle path and footway in the 
parish. 
