2 
The Ancient Fauna of Essex. 
Even among the members of a Naturalists’ Field Club there 
is at times no doubt a tendency to become the unintentional 
extirpators of some rare plant or insect when the resort of 
the one or the habitat of the other has been made public in 
its Proceedings. 
But there must always be a wide distinction drawn between 
the true Naturalist and the ordinary collector. I earnestly 
trust that you all belong to the former type, and, if you 
collect, you will be careful not to exterminate a species for 
the mere purpose of obtaining duplicates for exchange. 
I wish now briefly to refer to the historical records of 
Epping Forest and the neighbouring area, so far as I have 
been enabled to gather them. 
So lately as a.d. 1700 the entire tract between the rivers 
Ptoding and Lea was forest-land, the greater part covered 
with timber. 
In the Notes to Bowen’s Map of Essex (1748) it is stated, 
“ Eppiug Forest was formerly of very large extent, but its 
limits were settled and restrained by Act of Parliament 
(17 Car. I.), according to which regulation it is now T about 
fourteen miles long and ten broad. ’Tis full of game, and 
well stocked with deer, said to be the largest and fattest in 
the kingdom.” 
Epping Forest, with the neighbouring forest of Hainault, 
which was disafforested about thirty years ago, was originally 
called the Forest of Essex, or the ancient Boyal Forest of 
Waltham. It is said to have extended at one time over a 
very vast district, including in the reign of Henry III. (1228) 
almost the entire county of Essex; while in the reign of 
Edward I. (1298-1800) the perambulation, if correct, com¬ 
prised lands running down to the townships of Havering, 
Dagenham, Barking, and other places in the neighbourhood 
of the Thames. In the reign of Henry II. (1154), the Forest 
of Middlesex extended from Houndsditcli to about twelve 
miles north of London, and belonged to the Corporation of 
the City of London. The Forest is described as abounding 
in Wolves, Wild Boars, Stags, and Wild Bulls. So late 
as the time of Henry VI. (1485), Wolves were met with 
