240 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Notes on some Essex Badger Mortalities
By A. Batty and R. A. D. Cowlin
A number of Badger corpses from Essex have been examined
since January 1966. Details are as follows:
1. Adult—♀, wt. 26.5 lb (12 kg) killed at Colchester 31.1.1966.
Dimensions: head and body 28 in (71 cm), tail 6.25 (16 cm), hind
foot 8 in (10.5 cm). No further details.
2. Adult— ♀, wt. 23 lb (10.5 kg). Road death at South Weald
(TQ/572933) 14.12.1966. Multiple internal injuries and lower jaw
broken. Stomach contents: mainly acorns and earthworms.
Ectoparasites: Trichodectes melis. Endoparasites: Molineus
patens.
3. Adult—♀, wt. 19 lb (9.1 kg). Road death at Coxtie Green
(TQ/562955) 22.2.1967. Multiple internal injuries including rup-
ture of the spleen. Ectoparasites: T. melis, Ixodes canisuga.
Endoparasites: M. patens.
4. Yearling—♀, approx. wt. 15 lb (6.8 kg). Road death at
Langdon Hills (TQ/675858) circa 3.7.1968. Multiple internal
injuries. No further details.
5. Adult—♂, wt. 24 lb (11 kg). Road death at Thundersley
(TQ/788879) 14.7.1968. Old scars noted on skin around neck and
above tail. Multiple internal injuries. Stomach contents: mainly
earthworms and grass. Ectoparasites: Paraceras melis, T. melis.
Endoparasites: M. patens. Lower jaw grossly deformed by bony
overgrowth, probably as a sequel to a previous fracture.
6. Adult—♀, wt. 26 lb (12 kg). Dead outside sett entrance at
Langdon Hills (TQ/682869) 24.11.1968. No external injuries or
internal damage or abnormalities found. Stomach empty. No
further details.
7. Adult—♂, wt. 20 lb (9.1 kg). Dead wedged in entrance at
sett at Langdon Hills (TQ/677858) 23.3.1969. No obvious external
injuries. Earth in mouth. Kidneys appeared pale and enlarged,
lungs congested; no other gross lesions. The left testicle was intra-
abdominal whereas the right was fully descended. Ectoparasites:
P. melis, T. melis. Endoparasites: M. patens from the small
intestine.
8. Cub—♀, wt. 4 lb (1.8 kg). Dead in field within 100 yd (91
m) of sett at Stock (TQ/689984) 13.4.1969. Had large bruising to
front part of cranium: front part of tongue amputated; no other
gross lesions evident. Ectoparasites : T. melis. No endoparasites
recovered.
9. Cub—♀, wt. 4 lb (1.8 kg). Dead on top of freshly blocked
holes of sett at Blackmore (TL/621028) 20.4.1969. No external
damage evident. Dimensions: head, body and tail 18.5 in (47
cm). No further details.