ON THE MAMMALS OF LEICESTERSHIRE. 
303 
Of the Ungulata or Hoofed Animals we have now no wild 
representatives. The Hog, Goat, Sheep, Ox, Red Deer, 
Fallow Deer, and Roebuck were all wild or semi-wild 500 
years ago, but there is now no room for them here, except as 
domesticated animals. There were wild Horses in Britain 
in prehistoric times. 
Of the Carnivora we have no wild dog, but there is a wild 
Cat, which is now extremely rare if not quite extinct in the 
county. It differs from the domestic cat in being larger, 
stronger limbed, shorter tailed, flatter headed, and black 
nosed, although the colour is that of a yellowish tabby. The 
origin of the domestic cat is not known. It was at one 
time believed to be descended from an Egyptian species, 
the Gloved Cat (Fells maniculataj, hut it differs from this in 
its teeth, though there are resemblances in size and form. 
Domestic cats which have taken to a wild life are sometimes 
mistaken for the true Wild Cat. 
The Badger is certainly not common in the county, but 
there are records of its appearance in many localities during 
the last twenty years. It has long been preserved and pro¬ 
tected as a curiosity at the Brand, in Cliarnwood Forest, and 
some of those seen about the country may have been escapes 
from that colony. Otters are still found occasionally on the 
banks of the Soar; and the Marten, though now extinct, 
was, no doubt, an inhabitant of Cliarnwood before the old 
timber was cleared away 200 years ago. 
Of the Weasel, Stoat, and Polecat—the remaining three 
of our native mammals—the Weasel is still too plentiful for 
the game preservers; the Stoat is frequently seen, though 
less abundant; and the Polecat, though the rarest and the 
largest of the three, is still seen in some retired districts. 
EXISTING SPECIES OF MAMMALIA. 
Orders. 
Leicester- 
Britain. The whole 
shire. 
World. 
1. 
—Monotremata .... 
. 0 
0 
4 
2. 
—Marsupialia .... 
. 0 
0 
100 
3. 
—Edentata. 
. 0 
0 
40 
4. 
—Sirenia. 
. 0 
0 
6 
5. 
—Cetacea . 
. 0 
6 
200 
6. 
—Insectivora. 
. 4 
5 
200 
7. 
—Cheiroptera .. .. 
. 3 
15 
100 
8. 
—Rodentia. 
. 11 
13 
900 
9. 
—Ungulata. 
. 0 
5 
400 
10. 
—Carnivora . 
. 7 
12 
400 
11. 
—Quadrumana .... 
. 0 
0 
250 
25 
56 
2600 
The known species in 
most of the Orders are 
estimated 
in round 
numbers. Fifty years ago the estimated total was about 1,200. 
