A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



8. Whiskered Bat. Myotis mystacinus, Leisler. Essex, its habits in every way resembling 



those of that species. Both these bats are 

 Bell Vesperttho mystacmus. . ' f , . . ,, , 



constantly mistaken for the pipistrelle, but 



Found, like Daubenton's bat, throughout they are neither of them so plentiful. 



INSECTIVORA 



1. Hedgehog. Erinaceus europ&us, Linn. 

 Everywhere common, in spite of the con- 

 stant persecution of all game preservers. Fre- 

 quently killed and eaten by foxes. 



2. Mole. Talpa europtea, Linn. 

 Common everywhere. 



3. Common Shrew. Sorex araneus, Linn. 

 Generally distributed and common every- 

 where. 



4. Pigmy Shrew. Sorex mtnutus, Linn. 



Bell Sorex pygmaus. 



Nearly, if not quite, as common as the 

 preceding species. 



5. Water Shrew. Neomys fodiens, Pallas. 

 Bell Crossopus fodiens. 



Very common in the ditches and pools of 

 the marshes, but it is not confined to these, 

 as it may be found not uncommonly in all 

 streams and ponds throughout the county. It 

 is also found at some distance from water. A 

 most interesting animal to watch when hunt- 

 ing in a shallow pool. 



CARNIVORA 



1 . Fox. Pulpes vulpes, Linn. 



Bell Vulpes vulgaris. 

 Common throughout the county. 



2. Marten. Mustela martes, Linn. 



Bell Martes abietum. 



The Rev. R. Lubbock in his Fauna of 

 Norfolk (1845) says this animal is still occa- 

 sionally found in Essex. It was formerly 

 very common, and I have heard old sportsmen 

 speak of shooting it from the deserted nests of 

 magpies. 



Mr. H. M. Wallis says (Zoologist, 1879, p. 

 264): 'In 1822 one was killed at Waltham 

 Woods near Chelmsford. 



Mr. Harting, writing in 1880, says (Trans. 

 Essex Field Club, i. 95), the last killed in Essex, 

 so far as could then be ascertained, was trapped 

 in April, 1853, by Mr. Luffman, head keeper 

 to Mr. Maitland, in one of that gentleman's 

 covers at Loughton. 



From all accounts it appears, however, that 

 the marten still exists in Essex. Mr. E. A. 

 Fitch of Maldon, records (Essex Nat. iv. 153) 

 the existence of undoubted martens in Haze- 

 leigh Hall Wood, although he had failed to 

 capture an individual. 



The late Mr. English of Epping recorded 

 (Journal of Proc. Essex Field Club, iv. 64) 

 having seen one near Ambresbury Banks, in 

 the Forest, on July 30, 1883. And there are 

 accounts from other observers corroborating 

 his statements. 



3. Polecat. Putorius putorius, Linn. 



Bell Mustela putorius. 



Another member of the mammalian fauna 



of England which is rapidly disappearing in 

 consequence of the great attention which is 

 being paid to the preservation of game. In 

 the earlier half of the century just passed it 

 was not at all uncommon in many parts of 

 Essex, and was well known to most of the 

 country lads before 1830. In the writer's 

 boyhood it was a very common occurrence to 

 disturb a polecat in a day's rabbiting in 

 Paglesham and district, and there were very 

 few of the country lads who had not experi- 

 enced the truth of the saying 'stinks like a 

 polecat.' It is probably not yet extinct. 



Mr. Reginald Christy reports (Essex Nat. 

 ii. 37): 'The last specimen known to have 

 been killed in the neighbourhood of Roxwell 

 was trapped on the Boyton Hall farm in 

 or about the year 1855.' 



4. Stoat. Putorius ermineus, Linn. 



Bell Mustela erminea. 

 Still abundant. 



5. Weasel. Putorius nivalis, Linn. 



Bell Mustela vulgaris. 

 Very common. 



6. Badger. Meles meles, Linn. 



Bell Meles taxus. 



The badger is by no means extinct in Essex. 

 Some were liberated in Epping Forest by 

 Mr. E. N. Buxton in 1886 and arc doing 

 well. In all probability they were not ex- 

 tinct there even before these were introduced. 

 They certainly have never been extinct in 

 the neighbourhood of Stanway. In the Essex 

 Naturalist (i. 183) are records of captures in 

 woods adjoining Epping Forest in 1850 and 

 1874, and this appears to support the idea 



256 



