A HISTORY OF SURREY 



1 8. Polecat. Putorius putorius, Linn. 



Bell Mustcla putorius. 



The polecat certainly existed in Surrey for 

 many years after the disappearance of the 

 marten, but there is little doubt that it is now 

 extinct. It is probable, from the records 

 which exist of its occurrence, that it was 

 much commoner than the former animal. 

 Mr. Harting, in his paper on this species pub- 

 lished in the Zoologist, 1891, p. 283, writes : 

 'In the woodlands of Surrey in years gone 

 by I have occasionally come across traces of 

 the polecat, and seen recently killed speci- 

 mens strung up by the keepers or brought 

 home to be stuffed by the local taxidermist.' 

 Brewer included it in his Reigate list of 

 mammals (Flora of Reigate, 1856), and Mr. 

 Henry Sawyer of Richmond Park tells us that 

 fifty years ago they were well known there, 

 but have now disappeared (in lit.). About 

 twenty-eight years ago seven were killed 

 amongst some poultry near Chobham, one 

 killed about twenty years ago near the same 

 place, and another about 1885 taken alive 

 in that neighbourhood (Le Marchant in lit.). 

 Mr. Larken believes that many years ago it 

 used to be found in Gatton Woods (in lit.), 

 and about 1886 one was observed and nearly 

 caught at Headley Park, Epsom (Murray). 

 Since that date there seems to be no record 

 of any specimen having been observed or 

 captured in the county. The existence of 

 both this and the preceding species became 

 utterly impossible as game preservation 

 particularly of pheasants grew more and 

 more close. 



19. Stoat. Putorius ermineus, Linn. 



Bell Musteb erminea. 



The stoat is still common in the rural 

 districts, though it is probably slowly sharing 

 the fate of the marten and polecat. A speci- 

 men preserved by Mr. Reeves of Reigate was 

 of a whitish yellow colour with pink eyes and 

 without any black tip to its tail, probably a 

 true albino. It was shot near Reigate in 

 1885. A curious story by no means unique 

 is told by Mr. F. H. Salvin, who states that 

 a man bathing in a canal near Guildford was 

 attacked by no fewer than twelve stoats and 

 badly bitten, but with the aid of a passer-by 

 managed to kill three and put the remainder 

 to flight. The account of this remarkable 

 incident is related in the recently published 

 Memoir of Lord Lilford. 



2O. Weasel. Putorius nivalis, Linn. 



Bell Mustela vulgaris. 



Still abundant in the country and in our 

 opinion a good deal more common than the 



stoat. It is of course trapped and shot 

 religiously and is probably on the decrease. 

 Bell in his British Quadrupeds (2nd ed. 

 p. 187) states that in Surrey it is known by 

 the name of 'kine,' a word signifying the 

 same as the French ' chien.' 



21. Badger. Meles meles, Linn. 

 Bell Meles taxtu. 



The badger is of such nocturnal habits that 

 its presence is often seldom recognized even 

 in places where it is of quite common occur- 

 rence. In Surrey the species is now confined 

 to the most rural districts, but it is only within 

 the last twenty years that it has come to be 

 regarded as at all uncommon. They were 

 once quite abundant round Boxhill and 

 amongst the thick woods running across the 

 Weald, but at the present day the chief 

 localities in Surrey in which they are to be 

 found are the western district near Hascombe 

 and Bramley and again westward by Loseley, 

 Eashing and Peper Harrow. 



We have however casual notes of its occur- 

 rence from all over the county and a few are 

 still to be found in a good many places. 

 Brockham, the little village not far from 

 Dorking, is doubtless ' The Badger's Home,' 

 ' Brock ' being the old English name given to 

 this species. 



^ Mr. F. H. Salvin of Whitmoor House, 

 Guildford, bred and reared the badger in 

 captivity very successfully. 



As a rule little mercy is shown to this poor 

 beast if a chance is obtained of shooting or 

 catching it or even, as has been the case to 

 our own knowledge more than once, running 

 into it with a pack of hounds. 



22. Otter. Lutra lutra, Linn. 

 Bell Lutra vulgaris. 



The occasionally published exploits of the 

 redoubtable 'Otter' Hone show that this 

 species is still fairly common on the Thames. 

 Up the Wey and Mole and right up their 

 smaller tributaries the otter frequently ascends 

 and sometimes is found too on the chain of 

 big western lakes. The otter travels over- 

 land so quickly and so far that it is quite 

 possible that the Surrey specimens are not all 

 ascendants from the Thames but come from 

 the south country watershed. 



Most of the Surrey otters are on the move 

 when caught, but a good many breed in the 

 ' deeps ' of the two principal streams and we 

 understand near one at least of the larger 

 meres. 



We have a strange record of a fine male, 

 weighing 32 lb., being killed by the train 

 between Betchworth and Reigate in 1886. 



222 



