THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
113
27th, 1889 (see Essex Naturalist iii., p. 168). As before, the lecture was
illustrated by many very interesting specimens from Mr. Browne's herbarium.
On the motion of the President, seconded by Prof. Meldola, most hearty votes
of thanks were passed to Mr. Birch for his address in the Abbey, to the vicar for
the valuable assistance he had given in conducting the meeting and for the loan
of the schoolroom, and to Mr. Browne for his very interesting lecture, and the
meeting shortly afterwards broke up, dispersing in various directions by road and
rail. Between eighty and ninety members and visitors attended, and the glorious
spring weather rendered it a most enjoyable meeting.
Otters at Terling and Woodham Walter.—When at the Waltham
Abbey meeting I promised to send you a few particulars with reference to the
following note in the "Essex County Chronicle" of April 25th :—"A fine female
otter was shot in the river at Terling on Friday evening by a man named White
The animal measures three feet eight inches from the tip of the nose to the end
of the tail, and weighs twenty-and-a-half pounds. Its skin has been sent to
Witham to be dressed." I find that the otter had only lately given birth to cubs,
as she was in full milk, and of course her offspring must have died, being too young
to look after themselves. My brother and myself knew of the existence of others
in the river for some months, having tracked them on the mud. I have learned
that about twenty men and boys hunted the poor animal for some time, by worry-
ing her as soon as she showed herself above water, and then finally blew her head
to pieces with a gun !—John M. Wood, C.E., Highbury, May 29th, 1890.
[Frequent reports of the wanton destruction of these interesting animals all
over the kingdom appear in the newspapers. In the "Essex County Chronicle"
for December 13th, 1889, it is stated that "on Saturday last John Mundon, em-
ployed by Mr. S. Garrett, of Hoe Mills, Woodham Walter, caught a fine female otter
in an ordinary rat trap. It weighs twenty-one pounds and measures four feet in
length." We have several times printed notes showing how erroneous is the
notion that the otter is a real enemy to the angler, and reference may be made
to Mr. Watson's observations in this part of the E.N. (ante, p. 84), and to a very
instructive paper by Mr. A. H. Cocks, in the "Zoologist," vol. xiv. pp. 307-10,
entitled, "Destruction of Otters in the Thames." Naturalists should do all in
their power to prevent such ruthless extermination.—Ed.]
Large Snake at Wickford.—On June 18th, 1890, I saw a large snake on
the doorstep of Wickford Castle ; it was the largest in circumference I have seen,
and very heavy, although I could not get it weighed as it was still alive. It
measured thirty-seven-and-a-half inches long, considerably shorter than the
Althorne one (E.N. i. 113), but it was in far better condition and I should think
probably weighed as much. The man who had caught the snake also told me
that early this spring he had killed an adder containing sixteen young ; he was
quite a believer in the popular fallacy that these had entered a second time into
their mother's body.—Edward A. FITCH, Maldon.