6 MAMMALIA. 



county; and there is good reason to believe that it lingered 

 longer in Yorkshire than elsewhere in England, and as 

 late as the reign of Henry VII. There is documentary 

 evidence of the existence of wolves at Flixton-on-the- 

 Wolds in the time of Athelstan, at Roche Abbey in 1186, 

 at Bolton in Wharfedale in 1306, and at Whitby in 1369. 

 Evidence less precise but equally credible proves tiiat 

 they inhabited Knaresborough and Galtres Forests; Lang- 

 with, near York; Marske, in Swaledale; and various places 

 in South Yorkshire, as Woolley, Dodworth, Silkstone, 

 Aughton, Ulley, and Slade Hooton. Local legends in 

 which the wolf plays a prominent part are related for 

 Sittenham, in the Forest of Galtres ; for John o' Gaunt's 

 Inn, near Rothwell ; and for Howley Hall, near Batley. 

 Bones have been found in caves at Kirkdale and Dowka- 

 bottom, as well as in river deposits. 



22. Canis vulpes L. Fox. 



Generally distributed and abundant, though less numerous 

 on the western or hilly side of the county. Religiously 

 preserved for purposes of sport, numerous packs of hounds, 

 some of them dating back for centuries, being maintained. 



Section ARCTOIDEA. 



Fam. MUSTELIDiE. 



23. Martes sylvestris Nihs. Marten. 



Extremely scarce, and restricted to one or two localities ; 

 formerly abundant, and generally distributed. The 

 decrease in its numbers appears to have been compara- 

 tively rapid; the evidence in my possession concurs in 

 showing that about the commencement of the present 

 century the marten was common in many districts ; while 

 during the past thirty years its occurrence has been quite 

 exceptional and unlocked for. The only instances in 

 which it has occurred of late are : — Lees Head, near 

 Whitby, one, fifteen or twenty years ago (Stephenson, MS.), 

 and another in 1877 (Land and Water, p. 224); Cannon 

 Hall Park, Barnsley, about 1878 (T. Lister, MS.); and 

 Buckden, Wharfedale, winter of 1880 (Bishop, MS.). 



[Martes foina {ErxL). The Pine Marten has been removed 

 from the British list by the late Mr. E. R. Alston, who con- 

 sidered that all British-killed martens are referable to M. 

 sylvestris.^ 



