110 



near Stockton, quite recently ; efforts were made to capture it, 

 but without success. They are generally mentioned together 

 with Seals in old records ; and Porrus Marinus appears to have 

 been a favourite dish with the old monks and the aristocracy, as 

 appears from numerous entries in the ' Durham Household Book ' 

 before mentioned, and from their frequent mention in bills of 

 fare of famous feasts. Otters ( Lutra vulgaris) are found in the 

 higher reaches of the Tees, but not often at the estuary. Some 

 years ago one was caught at the Middlesbrough Docks, and I 

 have heard of another caught near Stockton Racecourse. 

 Brewster, in his ' History of Stockton ' before referred to, states 

 that the Otter is rare, but occasionally caught in the Tees. Two 

 were seen on the rocks at Winston Bridge, about the end of April, 

 1883. The Water Rat (Arvicola amphibia) is common in all the 

 tidal 'stells' which run into the Tees. The common or Norway 

 Rat (Mus decumanus) swarms in all the reclamation embankments 

 constructed by the Tees Commissioners, particularly those 

 constructed of slag, and make short work of any wounded birds 

 taking refuge there. The old English or Black Rat (Mus rattus) 

 still lingers in some old warehouses at Stockton, and, I believe, 

 in an old building at Middlesbrough, and probably at l'arm 

 also Three fine specimens in Newcastle Museum were procured 

 at Stockton, in 1868 ; they are jet black, and finer and larger 

 than other specimens in the same museum from the south of 

 England. Hares (Lepus timidus) have a peculiar partiality 

 for the reclaimed land on the Tees' banks ; at one place where 

 the game is preserved they are very numerous. In the Saltholm 

 and adjoining marshes several Kestrels (Falco iinnunculus) may 

 often be noticed at the same time, hovering over the rough grass, 

 on the look-out for Mice and Shrews, which there abound, 

 particularly the Long- tailed Field Mouse (Mus Sylvaticus), the 

 Field Vole (Arvicola agrestis), and the Common Shrew (Sorex 

 tetragonurus) . Notwithstanding the aversion which the carnivora 

 are supposed to have for the last, I once shot a Weasel (Must da 

 vulgaris) which was carrying one in its mouth, but on picking the 

 Shrew up I found it impossible to discern any wound oh it what- 

 ever We have also in the neighbourhood, I believe, 'two Water 

 Shrews, S. fodiens and S. remifer Macg. I have myself caught 

 the latter with eight young. In the drier part of the marshes 

 and the adjoining land, Moles (Talpa eurapma) are common, 

 cream coloured individuals being occasionally met with. 



*See C.N.F. Club Proceedings, Vol. II., p. 42. 



