158 The Mammalia of Essex; a Contribution towards a
manner it may be useful, by directing attention to the various
mammals remaining to us, especially as the class Mammalia
is a branch of Natural History the study of which is almost
entirely neglected in this country.
Ask any countryman, or even any well-educated person
living in the country, how many species of mice there are in
Britain, and not one in ten thousand will be able to answer
the question. Even amongst those paying some attention to
Natural History, nearly the same ignorance prevails ; birds,
butterflies, and moths, occupying their interest, generally to
the exclusion of other and equally attractive subjects.
it is not surprising that the beautiful branches of Natural
History are attractive to amateur students, but why is it that
the mammals are so neglected ? It may be that they are not
found everywhere, as are butterflies and birds, and that they
are more difficult to capture and preserve. On the other
hand, these species are not so numerous, and any trouble and
care expended on them will be quite as profitably employed
as in the pursuit of more favoured creatures, for the study of
Nature in her various forms is ever an unfailing source of
pleasure to those whose minds are fortunately endowed with
a taste for enquiry into her laws.
"I am not vain enough to suppose that I can add much to
the zoological knowledge which is yearly becoming more
general amongst us. Yet it is from local Faunas—from notes
made by different observers in various districts as to the
frequency or scarcity of species in the counties in which they
reside—that the master naturalist must build up his system
for a nation. The humblest attempt therefore is not without
its portion of utility." These are the opinions of the Rev.
E. Lubbock, in the preface to his Norfolk Fauna, and the
words must serve as my apology for presenting the following
remarks to my brother naturalists.
The order and classification adopted is that of the authors
of the last edition of Bell's 'British Quadrupeds,'2 which is
the standard work on the subject.
2 ['A History of British Quadrupeds, including the Cetacea.' By
Thomas Bell, F.R.S., F.Z.S., &c. Second edition, revised by the author,