296 NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
One of the molar teeth was carried to Colchester by Mr. J. Jackson, who took it
from the spot, in whose possession it now is ; it weighs seven pounds is of a
square form, and the grinding surface is studded with several zig-zag rows of
lamina?, which seem to denote that it belonged to a carnivorous animal. There
were more teeth, which were unfortunately broken, one of which weighed twelve
pounds. It is probable, that the tusks will be found by searching further into
the cliffs, or amongst the earth which has fallen down. The above skeleton is
supposed to belong to an animal of the same species as that called the mammoth,
remains of which have been found in North America, Great Tartary, etc."
Food of the Otter.—There is an interesting Essex item
in an article entitled "In Defence of the Otter," in the Spectator
of April 16th, 1904. The writer, while admitting that otters are
decidedly mischievous on small preserved artificial pools, does
not think they do any appreciable harm in a river the size of the
lower Thames. Eels and chub appear to be their favourite food.
Among many remarks on the habits of otters, the following
may be noted :—
" On a line lake in Essex, where a pair of otters Jive ail the year round, they
seem to confine their fishing enterprises to bream and fresh-water mussels, though
probably eels are also largely eaten. They have regular dining places, where
they come ashore, and on these flat portions of the bank, generally in a plantation
which is kept quiet, as it is full of pheasants, the backbones, skulls and scales of
the big bream lie, as well as heaps of mussel-shells, cracked by the otters'
teeth."
Porpoises in the Blackwater.—A shoal of porpoises was
driven ashore on Saturday morning, July 30, 1904, at West
Mersea, and local sportsman and others had quite an exciting
time chasing them. About half-a-dozen of the porpoises were
killed, but the rest got away to sea.
BIRDS.
Peregrine Falcon at Pitsea, Essex.—The following
are the particulars of this bird, which was shown at the meeting
of the Club on February 13th, 1904 :—"On Saturday evening,
January 23rd, I came into my study from the parish, and was
surprised to find a large female Peregrine Falcon, evidently just
shot, being still warm, lying on the table. On enquiry I ascer-
tained that it had been shot by Mr. H. Brown, of Chalvedon
Hall, Pitsea. He was walking, with his gun, in one of their
fields as it was growing dusk, when a bird flew out of some trees
at a little distance from him ; in the uncertain light and from its
noisy manner of flying forth, he took it for a wood pigeon and