MAMMALS 17. Badger. Meles meles, Linn. Bell — Meles taxus. Badgers are met with in Norfolk from time to time, but I doubt whether they can now be regarded as truly indigenous to the county. The most recent occurrences are one shot by a keeper in Holkham Park in January, 1893, and a second in November of the same year at Whitlingham near Nor- wich. A badger, which was suckling two young ones, was trapped at West Wretham in April, 1895, and in July, 1899, an old female and three young ones were killed at Forncett (vide Field, 22nd and 29th July, 1899). Even allowing for the nocturnal habits of this animal, I doubt whether as permanent inhabitants they would long escape notice. 18. Otter. Lutra lutra, Linn. Bell — Lutra vulgaris. The otter still holds its own in its great stronghold, the broads, and is occasionally found in all the streams of the county. With us it is decidedly a winter breeder, and the usual number of young is two or three ; only once out of many instances could I satis- factorily ascertain the number to have been four. Thirty-seven pounds is the greatest weight I have known a male otter to attain ; the female does not reach so great a weight as the male. For an account of the habits of this animal as observed in Norfolk, see the Trans. Norf. and Nor. Nat. Sue, vol. i. [1872-73] p. 79 ; also Zoologist, 1877, p. 172, and 1888, p. 248. 1 9. Common Seal. Phoca vitu/ina, Linn. The common seal is found in some num- bers frequenting the sandbanks in the great estuary of the Wash, between Norfolk and Lincolnshire, where it breeds, and is fre- quently captured by the fishermen. It also occurs on other parts of the coast, and occa- sionally far up the fresh-water rivers. In two instances it has been captured in the river Ouse, about forty miles in a direct line from the sea. 20. Ringed Seal or Floe-rat. Phoca hispida, Schreber. The claim of this species to be admitted to the British Fauna rests upon a specimen killed on the Norfolk coast in 1846, the skull of which is in the Norwich Museum. The late Mr. J. H. Gurney, who purchased the seal in the flesh and presented the skull to the Museum, called the writer's attention to this skull in 1 87 1, and upon submitting it to the late Sir W. H. Flower he confirmed its iden- tification as belonging to this species {Proc. Zoo. Soc, 1871, p. 506). 21. Grey Seal. Halicharus grypus, Fabricius. The grey seal is also an inhabitant of the Wash, whence both old and young have been obtained. The first occurrence with which I am acquainted was in December, 1881, when an old female and a young one in first coat were killed and brought to Lynn (cf. Trans. Norf. and Nor. Nat. Soc, iii. 415). A young female, now in the Norwich Museum, was killed on Breydon Broad, in November, 1882, and a very old female was captured at Wells in February, 1892. I have heard of others which I suspected to be of this species but had no opportunity of verifying. 22. Bearded Seal. Phoca barbata. A young male of this species was captured alive at Burnham Overy, and after being exhibited about the country for some months died at Lynn in February, 1892. The skull is preserved in the University Museum of Zoology at Cambridge. Full particulars of the event will be found in the Trans. Norf. and Nor, Nat. Soc, v. 555. RODENTIA 23. Squirrel. Sciurus leucourus, Kerr. Bell — Sciurus vulgaris. Common in suitable localities. 24. Dormouse. Muscardinus avellanarius, Linn. Although this interesting little animal is said to have been found in Norfolk by Paget (1834), and in 1838, by a writer in the Edinburgh Journal of Nat. Hist. (vol. i. 1835-39), like Mr. Lubbock in 1845, I was long unable to verify its occurrence in the present day ; a correspondence in the Field, however, revealed the fact that it is still met with in the south-east corner of the county, but even there it is not quite certain its pre- sence is not due to the introduction of some six or seven specimens procured from Surrey fifty years ago. 25. Brown Rat. Mus decumanus, Pallas. Common. 249
