184 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
The Grey Squirrel is now very common in the county, and has
extended its range eastwards and northwards. In recent years,
it has been reported from Stisted, Shalford, Galleywood and Wick-
ford, and has reached as far east as North Fambridge on the River
Crouch. The animal is said to be converging towards Colchester
(C. Owen in litt.). No records have been received for the extreme
north of Essex, and any reports, even negative ones, would be
welcomed. It is interesting to note that once the creature has
entrenched itself, it will maintain a relatively stable level of num-
bers in spite of the most vigorous persecution. For example, in
the woods at Margaretting, the Grey Squirrel maintains itself in
quite comfortable numbers despite regular shooting. The author
is indebted to A. C. Wheeler for much of the foregoing information
on both Red and Grey Squirrels.
Coypu: Myocastor coypus (Molina).
The Coypu, a South American rodent, owes its establishment
in this country to the setting up of fur farms (the soft underfur
was once fashionable as Nutria) in about 1929. By 1939, escaped
Coypus had begun to breed in swampy parts of Suffolk and Nor-
folk. The first occurrence of the Coypu in the wild in Essex had
taken place by 1955. Young Coypu were seen on the Essex side
of the River Stour in 1958, and a further young animal was killed
at Rayne in 1959. Two were taken alive in 1960 from Stebbing
and kept at the Colchester Natural History Museum by C. Owen,
the Curator. Since 1961, the Coypu has become firmly established
in eastern and central Essex, where it has been recorded from
Manningtree (140 killed), Woodham Walter (nearly 20 killed),
Audley End (one killed on the railway line), from the River
Chelmer near Stebbing, the Dunmow area, and at Thaxted. The
Coypu began to extend its range westward, one specimen nearly
three feet in length being killed on the River Stort near Roydon
in December 1961. It has also been recorded from as far south
as Mountnessing. Because the animal has become a pest of some
economic consequence to farmers and others, the Ministry of Agri-
culture has adopted a campaign to eliminate the species as far
as possible, and this policy is being vigorously pursued. During
1961-1962, about 100,000 Coypus were killed in East Anglia,
according to Mr. J. D. Norris, Regional Pest Officer of the Ministry
of Agriculture at Cambridge. In view of this, the animal is not
likely to be other than rare in Essex in the immediate future.
There are, however, almost impenetrable swampy areas around
the Norfolk Broads where the Coypu will probably continue to
exist in spite of the Ministry of Agriculture, and so the possibility
of its continued occurrence in Essex remains.
Carnivora
Fox: Vulpes vulpes crucigera (Bechstein).
A commonly recorded member of our Essex fauna. It appears
to be more commonly recorded in the southern parts of the
county, but this may well be due to the greater number of club