Page:VCH Sussex 1.djvu/345

MAMMALS The mammalian fauna of Sussex compares favourably with that of other English counties of which an account has been published, botli with respect to the number of species and the abundance of individuals. The circumstance that the present is the first account of Sussex mammals as a whole, and that the records relating thereto in zoological journals have been very scarce, will explain the imperfect treatment of the marine forms. Of the bats admitted by general consent into the British list the only species hitherto unrecognized in Sussex are the lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposiderus ; the parti-coloured bat, VespertUio murimis ; and the hairy-armed bat, Pipistrellus leisleri. The greater horseshoe and Bechstein's bat are only known to have occurred on one occasion each ; but on the other hand some species usually regarded as rare — such as the serotine, Natterer's, and the whiskered bat — are shown to be by no means infrequent. No more need be said here of the Insectivora than that the lesser shrew appears to be common, especially in the eastern division of the county. We may remark upon the pleasing circumstance that the badger fully holds its own in many parts. In the neighbourhood of Hastings there is hardly a parish unrepresented. This animal is in general so unobtrusive and harmless that its presence may be hardly suspected even on an estate where it is fairly numerous. After diligent inquiries we have failed to ascertain that a single Sussex polecat is preserved in any collection. With respect to the marine Carnivora the common seal is the only species included. Coming to the Rodentia we have been able to include the yellow- necked mouse, a subspecies of the long-tailed field mouse recognized as British since 1894. The bank vole is often mistaken for the field vole, and like the latter it is subject to much variation in numbers from time to time. The black rat has disappeared, leaving behind practically no evidence of its former abundance. In conclusion we may remark that much remains to be done, and especially in regard to the occurrence of the marine forms and the dis- tribution of the smaller terrestrial forms. In the case of the former, examples caught near or stranded upon the shore should be photo- graphed unless they belong to well known species. The absence of such means of identification renders useless the numerous notices of the cap- ture of cetaceans and seals contained in the columns of local newspapers. 299