List of the Fauna of the County. 163 



object to its burrowing and casting up mounds in their 

 pastures and newly- sown fields. I am not aware of any 

 other mischief done by this creature in Essex, except, it may 

 be, that it disarranges and blocks up the land-drains by 

 burrowing under them. In other parts no doubt considerable 

 mischief has arisen by this industrious little miner boring 

 through embankments made to keep out water, necessitating 

 every means being taken to keep down its numbers. The 

 hillock which covers the nest of the mole is generally made 

 in a hedge or wood, but sometimes in the open field ; it may 

 usually be known by its size being so much greater than the 

 ordinary "mole-hill." The j^oung are from three to six in 

 number, and are produced in the spring ; they are born 

 naked, but grow very rapidly. When young they are able to 

 fast a considerable time ; 1 have had some brought me alive 

 that were taken out of the nest the day before, and of course 

 had been without food for many hours, a privation which 

 would have been speedily fatal had they been full-grown. I 

 have purchased of one mole-catcher (who works in company 

 with his brother) in one season fifteen hundred fresh skins ; 

 and this will give some idea of the enormous number destroyed 

 by an able man. There is in this district a family of mole- 

 catchers, the greatest masters of their art I have ever known : 

 at any time they will produce living specimens on having a 

 few hour's notice. Their name is " Watch'em" (watch them), 

 a nick-name no doubt given them in consequence of their 

 trade. They are hereditary mole-catchers, the family having 

 followed this trade for more than 150 years. 



Insectivora. HoRicroiE. 



SoREx VULGARIS. Couimon Shrew.— The colour of this 

 animal varies very much, hardly two specimens being of exactly 

 the same shade. It occurs commonly in all parts of the 

 county, but is more frequently heard than seen : like all the 

 rest of the family it is very pugnacious, rarely two meeting 

 without a fight resulting, and their shrill war shrieks are 

 often audible in hedge or coppice as evidence of these 

 encounters, 



