THE BRITISH MARTEN. 453 



Eyton, who announced the fact (Mag. Zool. & Bot. vol. ii. p. 540), 

 added that the species was then to be found on Snowdon, and 

 near Barmouth. 



Staffordshire. — In Garner's Nat. Hist, of the Co. Stafford, 

 1844, the Marten is noticed (p. 246) as having occurred in the woods 

 near Dilhorne, Consall, in Needwood Forest, and frequenting 

 rocky places in the limestone district. Mr. J. K. Masefield, 

 writing thirty years later on the existing indigenous Mammalia 

 of North Staffordshire, says : — " I fear this species must now be 

 numbered amongst the extinct of this county, and I should not 

 have included it here, had I not been assured, by one on whose 

 word I can rely, that one was killed within his recollection, but 

 many years ago, on the Staffordshire side of Dovedale." 



Worcestershire. — Malvern Chace was at one time a haunt 

 of the Marten, but "the annual falls of wood disturbed him in 

 his retreats, and he is now (1834) rarely to be found" (Hastings, 

 Nat. Hist. Worcestershire, p. 59). 



Herefordshire. — About 1860, three Martens were taken at 

 Whitfield, near St. Devereux. In 1861 one was caught by the 

 keeper of Mr. H. Wood, of White House, Vowchurch, in Lower- 

 house Wood, in the parish of St. Margaret's, where ten years 

 previously another had been killed. In 1866 one was trapped at 

 Kentchurch, near the little brook that runs into the river Monnow. 

 Mr. Borrer, of Cowfold, Sussex, has one preserved in his col- 

 lection, which was procured at Grosmount, near Hereford, 13th 

 July, 1873. In March, 1878, one was trapped in a covert called 

 Paradise Brake, close to the house at Pontrilas Court, Hereford. 

 This specimen is now in the British Museum collection. The 

 last heard of in this county was seen by Mr. Walter Steward on 

 the river Dore in the spring of 1884. It was crossing the stream 

 by means of a tree which had fallen across, and was carrying a 

 rat in its mouth (Zool. 1886, p. 240). 



Lincolnshire. — In March, 1843, an adult female Marten was 

 trapped by a gamekeeper in the employ of Mr. Cooke, of Burgh 

 House, near Spilsby, and was considered a great rarity, only one 

 other having been met with during the previous three years 

 (Zool. 1843, p. 345). On Nov. 5th, 1854, a Marten was trapped 

 at Girsby, about seven miles from Louth. Some years previously 

 one had been taken in Burwell Wood, about four miles from 

 Louth. In 1858 one was caught in Well Wood, near Alford, 



