NOTES — ORIGINAL AND SELECTED, 4I 



at Steven's Auction Rooms, on the lolh December, 1889, a case of British 

 Weasels (lot 52) contained a fine Marten, stated to have been killed at Chingford, 

 Essex — date not mentioned. It belonged to a Mr. West, of Higli Street, Graves- 

 end, for whom the case was bought in at a reserved price (Essex Naturalist, 

 vol. iii, p. 271). Mr. E. A. Fitch, of Maldon, heard that the reason the capture 

 was not published was that the woodman who set the trap was afraid of getting 

 into trouble, and that they knew all about it at the ' Bald-faced Stag' " (EssEX 

 Naturalist, vol. iv., p. 126 ; see also vol. iv., p. 185). 



Singular Adventure of a Fox. — " The other morning a lad employed at 

 the Lion Inn, St. Osyth, observed a fine dog fox in the inn yard, playing with 

 two cats. The lad, with others, pursued the animal, which bolted into the garden» 

 and in attempting to escape underneath the gate was captured, one boy seizing 

 it by the head and another by the brush. Reynard was securely muzzled and 

 tied up, presumably for future sport." — "Essex Standard," December 12th, 1891. 



Destruction of Otters in Essex. — It is very distressing to read in the 

 county newspapers paragraphs announcng, time after time, the shooting or trapping 

 of otters. Why are these poor beasts so persecuted ? One would think that any 

 one with a spark of feeling for nature w-ould cherish rather than seek to destroy 

 such an interesting inhabitant of our streams and rivers. Naturalists have pro- 

 tested again and again against the destruction of otters, even in the supposed 

 interests of anglers, but in vain. The man with the gun is omnipresent and 

 insatiable ; in him the savage delight of mere destruction overpowers all sense of 

 pity or regard for nature's pensioners ; that they live, move, and feel is a sufficient 

 incentive to the noble, or ignoble, " sportsman " to hunt, maim, and kill them all 

 — eagle, fox, hawk, jay, or otter — in defiance of enlightened public feeling, and 

 disregard of remonstrance or argument. And we can only sigh and bear the 

 wrong, until the community takes courage, and, in defence of our fast disappear- 

 ing fauna, staj-s by law the ruthless destructiveness of a few of its members. The 

 following are records of otter-killing in Essex which we have noted during the 

 last two months : 



Bishop's Stoitford. — " A large otter, weighing about 24lbs., was shot the other 

 day by Mr. Towler, at Hay Mead Springs." — " Essex County Chronicle," Decem- 

 ber i8th, 1891. 



Great Bentley. — " Mr. Luigi Corti, of the Cottage, last week shot two otters, 

 which were turned out of a fleet near his house." — " Essex County Chronicle,'' 

 December 25th. 



Chappel. — "On January lith, Mr. J. S. Goodey, of Broom House, shot a fine 

 dog otter, in the river near his residence, which measured four feet one inch from 

 the tip of the nose to the end of the pole, and weighed 22|lbs. This gentleman 

 also shot one about a year ago, and has shot as many as six in the same river at 

 various times." — " Essex Standard," January i6th, 1892. 



Stoke-by-Nayland. — " Mr. Harry Church, of Rams Farm, Stoke-by-Nayland^ 

 shot, on Monday evening, January nth, a very fine female otter on the river 

 Bot, measuring four feet in length, and weighing i61bs." — " Essex Standard," 

 January 1 6th. 



Heybridge. — " On Wednesday morning Mr. F. Cocks, of Heybridge Mill, was 

 walking, with his gun and dog, along the banks of the Navigation water, between 

 the old station bridge and his mill. Suddenly the dog stopped, and began bark- 

 ing and sniffing round the stump of a decayed tree. Mr. Cocks went back to 



