THE AMERICAN GREY SQUIRREL IN THE BRITISH ISLES. 205 
APPENDIX €. 
REMARKS ON THE SQUIRRELS OF EPPING FOREST. 
BY FREDK. J. STUBBS. 
I lived five years (up to 1919) at Coppice Row, practically in the Forest 
at Theydon Bois. I never saw a Grey in any part of the Forest, nor did 
my wife, who knows the animal very well. In 1914 I noticed the scarcity 
of [red] squirrels near Theydon, especially towards Navestock and Ongar, 
where, five years before, I thought them normally common. The same 
scarcity had been observed by others: Mr. H. B. Debenham, of Thrifts 
Hall, Theydon Bois, well remembered Mr. C. E. Green of Epping (who died 
about 1916), purchasing squirrels from a man at Leadenhall Street Market 
and turning them loose on his estate at Epping. Writing now from mem- 
ory it would be about 1916 when I began to notice jet black and red-tailed 
squirrels (that is, red squirrels with tails the same colour as the body), near 
Theydon. They were becoming troublesome to gardens, especially near 
the Golf Links, and I handled a good few specimens. At that period I had 
no leisure for much natural history work, but did compare the specimens 
witk the descriptions in Gerrit Miller’s book, and with Mr. Oldfield Thcmas’s 
article in the Zoologist. I did not submit specimens to any authority, but 
assumed they were Sc. v. fuscoatey, probably from the Continent. After 
Mr. Debenham had told me about Green’s experiment I wrote to Castang 
at Leadenhall Market, but got no reply; and when I left Theydon Bois 
I left the matter open, handing over the few specimens I possessed to the 
Essex Museum. But Mr. Hamlyn told me that about the time Mr. Green 
was buying squirrels, few if any British squirrels were coming into trade 
hands. He was receiving them from the Balkans, ircm Italy, and frcm 
Holland, perhaps also from Scandinavia. All these would, of course, be 
sold as S. vulgaris, not necessarily with intent to deceive purchasers. 
Later on, towards 1919, squirrels grew more noticeable near Theydon, 
the majority being, from an inspection in the field, much like British squir- 
rels. Very occasionally I saw one with the red tail at a season not agreeing 
with Mr. Oldfield Thomas’s statements on the seasonal changes. Some- 
times I saw black ones; my wife has reported squirrels just the colour of 
black cats. The grey squirrel had been reported Chingford way, but as I 
Say we never saw it ; indeed, I can safely say that it did not inhabit our end 
of the Forest between 1914-19. If casuals occurred they socn left again. 
I would like to repeat my idea (perhaps nothing more) that the red squirrel 
was decreasing in Essex after 1909; and the opinion of good observers 
like Mr. Debenham is that this was really the case. 
Ringed Plover at Walthamstow.—One of these birds was heard 
calling at that part of the ‘‘ Racecourse ’’ which is contiguous to the sewage 
farm, on which it probably was. Inland records of this species are decidedly 
unusual for Essex. WILit1AM E. GLEGG, F.Z.5. 
Meteorite at Ashdon—On goth March 1923, a meteoric stone, weigh- 
ing 2?lbs., was actually seen to fall by a labourer at Ashdon, and has been 
acquired by the Mineral Department of the British Museum (Natural History). 
; Ep. 
