List of the Fauna of the County. 169
only be considered as stragglers. It has been killed in the
Blackwater, in the mouth of the Thames, and elsewhere ; but
one great difficulty and source of error in consulting records
of the capture of Phocidae is that one can rarely be certain
of the species, in consequence of the specimens having seldom
been examined by competent naturalists.
Cystophora cristata. Hooded Seal.—In 1847 a specimen
of this seal was taken in the Orwell, and is now preserved in
the Ipswich Museum. As the Orwell empties into Harwich
harbour I think we are entitled to place this animal in our
Essex fauna, although its normal habitat is within the
Arctic circle. The above two species are the only seals that
I am able to give as visiting the Essex coast without any
doubt, but I do not see why the Grey Seal (Halichaerus gryphus)
should not occur, as one of its breeding-stations, the Fame
Islands, is on the Northumberland coast; it is a common
species in the Hebrides and Shetland, and has been taken in
the Isle of Wight.
Rodentia. Sciuridae.
Sciurus vulgaris. Common Squirrel.—This elegant and
active little animal is so well known that very little need be
said about it. It occurs in all parts of the county in suitable
spots—that is, where there are woods. It is almost omnivorous
in its tastes; birds' eggs and insects are occasionally eaten,
but vegetables are its main support. In the early spring,
when the beech is coming into leaf, I have noticed as many
as six squirrels busily feeding in one tree on the young shoots,
biting off and throwing down the leaves, and only consuming
the stalk—that is, the young branch. In the autumn I have
seen squirrels strip off the loose bark from dead branches,
and carefully scrape out with their teeth the fungus fre-
quently found in such situations. Whenever I have seen
this going on I have noticed the position adopted for feeding
is not the usual one; instead of sitting on its haunches, the
squirrel almost invariably hangs head downwards. It is
said to hybernate, but I much question whether it does so
as a rule. It may occasionally take a prolonged sleep, but
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