98
NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
Delphinus tursio in the Colne.—On Sunday morning, May 29th, 1892,
as a man named John Crossley was searching for flounders in Mill Creek,
Fingrinhoe, he discovered, in a shallow part of the creek, three large Porpoises,
unable to pass outwards, as the receding tide had left insufficient water over
some banks below. He obtained the assistance of some of his friends, and
between them they managed to pass a slip-knot of rope over the animals and
drew them up the mud on to the marsh. The unfortunate animals' throats were
then cut in the same manner as pigs are slaughtered. In the afternoon the men
gave me notice of the catch, and I went and inspected the Porpoises. I found
one to be a male, 10 feet 1 inch from the tip of the nose to the notch in the fluke,
and 6 feet in girth; the other male was smaller, measuring 5 feet 10 inches and
5 feet ; and the female was larger than either, being 10 feet 3 inches and 5 feet
10 inches. She had the appearance of being gravid, and had plenty of milk,
which exuded in a stream on pressing the mammary gland, I caught a quantity
in my hand and tasted it, and found it very rich and creamy, but it was strongly
fishy, coupled with that peculiar rank flavour so characteristic of the odour of the
breath and flesh of all the Cetaceans I have examined. This Dolphin is said to be
rare, but in my experience it is the one most frequently taken in our estuaries. I
have seen and recorded more examples of this species than any other during the
last twenty years. I ought to have said before that the animals appeared to have
been feeding on eels, as one of them turned out many pounds of the fish in a
semi-digested condition, when first hauled up.
I was very glad to have an opportunity of tasting a Cetacean's milk, but I
do not think I should crave a meal of it.—HENRY LAVER, F.L.S., Colchester,
June 4th, 1892.
Otter and Trout.—Fishing to-day (May 20th) in the Chelmer at the place
where the Stebbing Brook joins that stream, I saw a full grown otter quietly get
out of the water immediately opposite to me and go up the bank, where I observed
him resting on the grass for about half a minute. Making a slight noise to call
my son's attention, the animal became alarmed and quickly and quietly returned
to the water with a sinuous motion much resembling a large ferret; otherwise
the animal, with his sleek coat, looked like a seal. So quiet were his motions
that he did not disturb a trout of a pound weight which immediately
began to bite, and which I caught. This incident, I think, shows that the otter
in its ordinary course moves about in the water without being regarded by the
fish. Both events, as it were, transpired at once, and we were not eighteen feet
from each other. It is almost unnecessary to add that trout and otters are
exceedingly shy and wary.—J. French, Felstead, May 20th, 1892.
Hoopoe at Roxwell.—On May 3rd, a Hoopoe (Upupa epops) flew up from a
wet ditch at the bottom of my garden at Little Boyton Hall, and settled on some
trees near. Although I have frequently been in pursuit of him with a binocular
since, I have never seen him again, so he has probably passed on.—Reginald W.
CHRISTY, Roxwell, May 23rd, 1892.
Fieldfares in Spring of 1892.—Fieldfares were very late this spring in
returning to their summer quarters. There were large flocks here from April 22nd
to 30th, and one lot of about 500 stayed till May 10th, when the weather became