48 T. V. EGBERTS — TEEEESTEIAL 



but rarely, came across one. Richard the First granted a charter 

 to the Abbot and Convent of Peterborough to hunt the wild cat in 

 Northamptonshire, where it seems to have lingered as long as 

 anywhere in England, except in the extreme north. There was no 

 representative of the wild cat in the Zoological Gardens when I 

 was last there. The animal is quite untameable and soon breaks 

 its heart in confinement ; at any rate when the confinement is 

 solitary. The last I remember, a good many years ago, was pro- 

 vided with a Persian wife, and had lived very much longer than 

 his predecessors. He had had several families and looked a degree 

 less unhappy than those I remember before. I was horrified to 

 learn from my friend Mr. Stradling that the true wild cat is 

 strongly suspected to be extinct in this countiy. I have been 

 making some enquiries and I hope they show that there is a chance 

 at any rate that this is not quite the case. Mr. Duncan McLaren, 

 a gamekeeper near Fort William, writes to me that there is no 

 doubt of its existence at the present time in the forests under his 

 charge. I am indebted to the Rev. Dr. Joass, of Golspie, for some 

 extremely interesting particulars of recent occurrences in Suther- 

 land, partly from his own experience, but principally obtained 

 from Mr. Inglis, the Duke of Sutherland's keeper, at Dunrobin. 

 The last wild cat killed in the immediate vicinity of Golspie was in 

 1885, but others were killed or tracked in the county in 1889 and 

 1890. Dr. Joass has very kindly given me the position and 

 distances of the various localities where these cases occurred, and a 

 description of their natural features. In each case the habitat 

 appears to be a hill or steep mountain-side covered with trees, — 

 ash, birch, or alder, — particularly where there are crevices or loose 

 rocks. In the 'Zoologist' for 1881, Mr. Harvie Brown states 

 that the wild cat was then to be found in suitable localities over a 

 large extent of the West and North of Scotland, finding its chief 

 sanctuary in the deer-forests. I venture to hope therefore that it 

 is not quite extinct. 



The Fox ( Viilpes vulgaris) was so graphically described for us by 

 Mr. Rooper in his recent lecture on " Bats and some other Beasts," 

 and he gave us such an interesting account of its habits and cha- 

 racteristics, that I need say nothing more on the subject. 



A few words may be said as to the food of the Carnivora. Like 

 the bear in Hudibras they are not "nice," in the sense of being 

 particular in their dietary. They take what they can get. The 

 otter of course feeds mainly on fish, having a special predilection 

 for eels, and all the Mustelidte appear to be fond of a fish diet. The 

 polecat constantly catches eels in ditches on marsh-lands and such 

 like places. It is also very fond of the spawn of frogs. Rats, 

 mice, frogs, toads, and slugs are eaten by foxes, badgers, polecats, 

 etc. ; and the marten, according to Mr. St. John, is fond of fruit. 

 All kinds of feathered game and poultry, eggs, hares, and rabbits, 

 fall a prey to the Carnivora in more or less plenty. In short, 

 nothing seems to come amiss. A fox kept by Mr. Holland-Hibbert 

 in his garden, was, he tells me, extremely partial to fruit. I sus- 



