NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. 51
and now that the outlying lands are to be brought under a similar
beneficent rule with regard to birds, we may anticipate a still more
rapid improvement. But all rules of the kind, whether put forward
by public bodies like the County Council, or by private owners and
custodians of open spaces, are almost useless without the intelligent
co-operation of the public. We can only appeal to all to observe
the rules, and induce others to do so—the object is a noble one, and
all right-thinking people should do their utmost to render its attain-
ment possible.
We shall report future progress in this matter from time to time
in The Essex Naturalist.
NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
Slaughter of an Otter at Coggeshall.—In the papers it is recorded that on
the evening of June 10th, an otter was discovered in the grounds at the "Mount,"
curled up in the stump of a tree and partly hidden by shrubs, by the side of the
carriage drive, a few yards from the house. The gardener was attracted to the
spot by a curious barking noise. The otter appeared quite at ease, and remained
there until the Misses Surridge came up and had a look at it. In the meantime,
Mr. E. T. Edwards (brave fellow !) procured a gun and shot the poor animal. It
was a male in rather poor condition, weighing close upon 3 lbs. and measuring
2 feet in length. The place where the otter was concealed was at least two to
three hundred yards from the river, and was about S yards from the high road and
the house, and within a yard of the carriage drive. It would be interesting to
hear of any other capture of a similar nature, as the otter must have crossed the
high road to get into the garden.
A Flock of Swans at Galleywood Common. —In The Essex Natur-
alist, vol. v., p. 116, Mr. Henry A. Cole recorded a flight of Wild Swans over the
Lea near Edmonton on January 19th, 1891. In ''The Essex County Chronicle"
it is stated that on Thursday afternoon, February 28th, a party of gentlemen
shooting near Goat Hall Farm, Galleywood Common, were surprised about four
o'clock by seeing a flock of eight fine swans flying over their heads at a long
gunshot height. No shot was fired at them. The swans appeared to be coming
from the direction of Ingatestone, and going towards the Baddow meads. [The
birds in both cases were probably "Whoopers" (Cygnus musicus).—Ed.]
An Eagle bringing up Chickens.—Those of our members who attended
the meeting on the Chelmer river on August 8th, 1891, will remember seeing the
Golden Eagle and her eggs at Mr. Garratt's, Hoe Mill, Woodham Walter (E. N.,
vol. v., p. 250). The history of the bird was given in the E. N. (vol. iv., p. 124)
by Mr. E. A. Fitch. On April 10th, 1895, Mr. Garratt writes : "It may interest
your readers to know that my golden eagle, which has been in captivity about
twenty-eight years, laid her three eggs, as usual, last month. I took the eggs
away and placed the eagle on nine ordinary hen's eggs. Yesterday (April 5th)
she came off with five young chickens. She has not eaten them yet, and I believe
she will bring them up."