BRITISH WILD ANIMALS. xi 



of the fourteenth century ; for had they been present after that date, their ravages would 

 certainly have been placed on record. Their memory is preserved in several names of 

 places in different parts of England. " The spacious palace," for example, called 

 Wolvesey, built close to the east side of Winchelsea Cathedral by Bishop Henry in 

 1137, and Wolvey, near Nuneaton, where Edward IV was taken prisoner by the Earl of 

 Warwick, after the battle of Dane Moor, may be quoted as examples. 



The wolves lingered some time longer in Scotland than in England, as might be 

 expected from the country affording better cover, and in the eleventh or twelfth century 

 they were a scourge sufficiently serious to be mentioned in a litany along with caterans. 1 

 The last wolf in Scotland was killed, according to Pennant, by Sir Ewan Cameron in the 

 year 1680. 



The wild boar became extinct certainly before the reign of Charles I, for he obtained 

 a pair with great trouble and expense from Germany 2 and turned them into the New 

 Forest. Like those which General Howe turned into his forest in Hampshire at the 

 beginning of this century, they were destroyed by the exasperated rustics. 



The memory of Wolves and Boars is preserved in many names of places, such as 

 Wild Boar's Clough, near Macclesfield, and Wolvesacre, near Whitchurch, in Shropshire. 



In the twelfth century the beaver was hunted for its fur on the banks of the Teivi, in 

 Cardiganshire, 3 and before that time had left the names of Beverstone in Gloucestershire, 

 Bevercoates in Nottinghamshire, and Beverley in Yorkshire, as evidence that it was 

 known to the English conquerors of Britain. In Wales it has given its name to 

 no less than three lakes, 4 and its fur is set apart in the laws of Howel 

 Dha 5 for the use of the Queen. 



The current belief that the brown bear lingered in Britain to be exterminated in 

 Scotland by the founder of the Gordon family in 1057 is unsupported by any docu- 

 mentary evidence which I have been able to discover. 6 There can, however, be no doubt 

 that it was in Britain during the Roman occupation, since it is mentioned by the poet 

 Martial as being Caledonian ; and since I have met with its remains in Colchester, in 

 a refuse-heap which was accumulated by the Roman provincials. 



To the animals inhabiting Britain during the Historic Period, we must add two other 



1 " A cateranis et latronibus, a lupis et otnni mala bestia, libera nos Doraine," 'Litany of Dunkeld,' 

 lxii. See preface, p. xxiv, ' Kalendar of Scottish Saints,' 4to, 1872, by the Bishop of Brechin. This litany 

 is later than 1046. 



2 Lord Macaulay omits to notice that these wild boars were obtained from Germany, and consequently 

 ascribes their extinction to the time of the civil wars. On this point see Youatt, ( The Pig,' p. 29 ; 

 Bigland, ' British Quadrupeds,' pp. 449-50. 



3 Giraldus Cambrensis, ' Topographia Hibernise,' p. 709. 



* Llyn-yr Avangk. See Camden, 'Britannia,' edit. Gibson, vol. ii, p. 41. 



5 ' Ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales,' vol. ii, Venedotian Code. This was made between the 

 death of Homel Dha and the year 1080. 



6 The crest of the Gordon family is not three bears', but three boars' heads. 



