| This series of picture cards is offered in the interests of education by Brooke Bond | PG Tips | British Wildlife


	01 THE SHETLAND PONY Here we have a picture of a Shetland pony mare and her foal. In days gone by these tiny horses did nearly all the agricultural work of the crofts - but today they are largely replaced by - and the Shetland pony is quite scarce on its native islands However - there are many to be found in the south - where it is highly esteemed as a children's riding pony. Lucky indeed is the small child who has one of these delightful and docile ponies as his first mount.
	02 THE WELSH MOUNTAIN PONY The Welsh mountain pony is a delightful little animal and makes a very good child's mount. It was formerly much used in the pits - but mechanisation has largely done away with the need for ponies in the mines. Welsh ponies vary in colour bays - greys - chestnuts and blacks are all to be met with - and a pretty sight they are when seen on a green hillside or wandering over a gorsy common - the little mares followed by their foals - with a proud stallion leading the party.
	03 WILD WHITE OR PARK CATTLE Wild white or park cattle are kept in several places in Great Britain. They are fine white cattle with black or red points and date back to the Middle Ages - when the great noblemen enclosed areas of land for sporting purposes. In these parks were deer - wild boars and wild bulls. Whether the cattle were really wild or gone wild is not certain They may have been the latter. Anyhow' the breed still survives - for example the Chillingham herd in the great park at Chillingham in Northumberland - and the Chartlev Cattle at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire.
	04 THE RED DEER (Cervus elaphus) The red deer is the largest and finest of the land mammals that live wild in Britain. Formerly widespread - wild herds today are limited to Devon and Somerset - the Lake District and the Highlands of Scotland. They are mostly found in the Highland deer forests. A deer forest is a treeless area of country where deer are allowed to go their own way. The male red deer has antlers and is called a stag. The female is called a hind. The calves are usually born in June - and are at first prettily spotted. Normally a hind has only one calf at a time.
	05 THE FalLOW DEER (Dama dama) The fallow deer - the beautiful animal with palmate antlers so often kept as an ornamental park species - but also known as a wild beast in the New Forest and many other districts - mayor may not be truly indigenous. Opinions differ on this point. Some people believe it was brought here in historic times - but others maintain that it is a true native.
	06 THE ROE DEER (Capreolus capreolus) The roe is the smallest of the three well known species of deer found in Britain - it being only about twenty four inches in height at the shoulder. It is a shy - retiring animal sheltering in woods and thickets in many parts of the country - where it may be found in family parties consisting of a buck - doe and their offspring. The male has small - sharp pointed antlers. The female often has two young at a time.
	07 THE MOLE (Talpa europaea) The mole is a marvellous example of adaptation to an underground existence. Its dark velvet like fur does not easily get dirty - its forepaws are wonderfully strong digging implements - and its nose is remarkably keen SO that it can easily detect the earthworms on which it lives In 24 hours it eats its own weight of worms. Its eyes are so reduced that it is questionable if they can do more than distinguish light from darkness It works and sleeps in short alternate spells resting in a nest under an extra large hillock known as the mole palace or castle.
	08 THE HEDGEHOG (Erinaceus europaeus) We usually know the hedgehog as an inanimate prickly ball - but when unalarmed and unafraid the hedgehog - or urchin - is a sleek - eager active animal as will he seen in the picture. Hedgehogs are fond of worms and grubs in general. They also eat carrion. There is nothing a garden urchin appreciates more than a saucer of bread and milk. Hedgehogs are creatures of the night and most of their activities are undertaken under cover of darkness.
	09 THE FOX (Vulpes vulpes) The red fox is widely distributed throughout Europe and nowhere does it flourish more than in the British Isles - being common from the fringe of London to the outer wilds It lives on mice and frogs - rabbits and hares - It takes ground nesting birds and raids fowl pens - and has many foes - from huntsman and hounds to the irate poultry keeper - but it is a cunning creature. In nursery rhyme - in poetry and story it is a popular hero - depicted as the personification of guile - usually winning in a war of wits it is indeed the cunning fox.
	10 THE BADGER OR BROCK (Meles meles) The badger or brock is an animal that has survived in some numbers despite much persecution. It has never received any protection for sporting purposes it is a truly wild beast. It lives in a large burrow known as a "sett" and is strictly nocturnal in its habits - hence its presence in a neighbourhood often goes unsuspected. Sometimes - particularly in the autumn - it may make itself known by long - loud yells - which are probably a love song. The cubs - generally two or three in number - are born in February or March.
	11 THE OTTER (Lutra lutra) The otter has webbed feet - a waterproof coat and is an expert fisherman - yet it is not entirely wedded to an aquatic life. It hunts rabbits and even birds with gusto and is not averse to a cross country excursion - especially in winter when snow lies around. Few animals are more playful than the otter and it loves to romp in the snow - when it often toboggans head first down the banks. Otters are vagrant in their habits - fishing part of a river - then moving on several miles - next exploring a stream - but eventually working back to their original headquarters
	12 THE POLECAT (Putorius putorius) Here we have a picture of a Welsh polecat - an animal that closely resembles a big - dark - ferret; indeed some people think that the ferret - whether dark or white - is a domestic form of the polecat Polecats used to be common throughout Great Britain - living on rabbits - frogs - field voles and maybe a hen or two - but persecution reduced them until today we must go to the valleys and bogs of central Wales - before we can have much hope of meeting with this handsome outlaw. Usually it is dark brown black in colour - but occasionally a sandy red variety occurs.
	13 THE PINE MARTEN (Martes martes) The pine marten looks like a cross between a fox - a squirrel and a little cat - but it belongs to the stoat tribe. It was formerly common in the woods of the British Isles - but it is now a rarity of the wilds. A few survive in the West of Ireland - one or two in North Wales and the Lake District - and a few in the Highlands of Scotland. Very active and a great climber - it used to chase squirrels and birds through the tree tops. The picture shows a marten aloft on a branch. The winter fur of the marten is as lovely as that of the sable.
	14 THE STOAT (Mustela erminea) The stoat or ermine is a native of Great Britain and Ireland. It is also widespread on the Continent of Europe - in the north of which it regularly adopts a winter coat of white - though it always retains the dark pencil of hairs at the end of its tail. It is then known as the ermine and is the origin of the lovely white fur used to trim State robes and so on. The dark spots on the white fur are tails. The stoat is a great hunter of rabbits but when rabbits are few it turns its attention to mice - voles - rats - frogs - birds - etc. The picture shows the stoat in its summer coat.
	15 THE WEASEL (Mustela nivalis) Hardly more than a finger thickness of life and devilment - the weasel is a great hunter of small game particularly mice and voles and is a valuable factor in keeping these prolific rodents within bounds. Its world is the jungle of grass. weeds - ferns and other vegetation. Here we find small tunnels - along which passes the weasel - more like a snake than a fur clad animal - hunting the little rodents with ruthless efficiency. The weasel may be distinguished from the stoat by its lesser size - sandy hue and its short tail without any terminal tuft of dark hairs.
	16 THE COMMON SEal (Phoca vitulina) The common seal is the smaller of the two species of seal that breed on our shores. It prefers quiet coasts - with sandbanks - to the rocky haunts so loved by the grey or Atlantic seal and is plentiful on the East coast of England where it may be seen in large herds. This seal has a spotted coat but may be distinguished from the grey seal by its much rounder head. It has its single young one in summer.
	17 THE GREY SEal (Halichoerus grypus) grey or Antarctic seal is the bigger of the two species of seal that breed in British waters - and is essentially an animal of our rocky shores - whereas the smaller common seal loves sand banks. Its single young one is born in the autumn - in caves - in sheltered coves and on islands along the Welsh coast - the Scottish shore - on the Orkneys and Shetlands and on the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland. The last named colony is almost gone - and here the calves do not appear until November.
	18 SCOTTISH WILD CAT (Feris silvestris) There are gone wild cats and truly wild cats and they are very different animals. The real wild cat - Feris silvestris - is one of the most untamable of savages. In the British Isles it is now found only in the Highlands of Scotland - where it roams the hills and glens - living on grouse - ptarmigan and mountain hares - plus voles and mice. The old male is a fine fellow and most devoted mate. The wild cat is a striped rusty coloured tabby - with a handsome black tip to its tail and black soles to its feet - and does not vary in colour.
	19 THE GREY SQUIRREL (Sciurus carolinensis) The grey squirrel was brought from North America to England in the middle of the nineteenth century. Today it is widespread and numerous and is spreading into Wales and the Lowlands of Scotland. It was at first regarded as a delightful addition to our fauna - but soon this opinion was reversed. Where it appeared our native red squirrel disappeared and - as it grew more numerous - it began to do damage - particularly in orchards and young plantations. Today it is regarded as a pest.
	20 THE RED SQUIRREL (Sciurus vulgaris) Formerly a common inhabitant of the woods of Britain - the red squirrel has lately been displaced in wide areas by the grey squirrel. However - it is still found in many woods and is widespread in Continental forests. The British red squirrel differs slightly from that across the Channel - for example its fur is more liable to fade and its tail becomes very bleached in summer - so it has been given subspecific rank and the lengthy name of S vulgaris leucourus. But by whatever title it may be known - a red squirrel is one of the most graceful and beautiful of animals.
	21 THE MOUNTAIN OR BLUE HARE (Lepus timidus) Whereas the brown hare is a lowland species that likes cultivated land - the smaller - greyer mountain hare is an animal of the wilder - northern - more mountainous region The mountain - blue or variable hare owes its last name to the tact that it changes colour in winter - when it grows a white coat - which Is excellent camouflage among snow surroundings. The hare shown here is in full winter coat - completely white save for the black tips of its ears the Irish hare is a subspecies of Lepus timidus that does not turn white in winter
	22 THE BROWN HARE (Lepus europaeus) The brown hare is the common hare of the lowlands and lowest well cultivated fields. It usually rests in a "form" by day and explores the countryside by night The young ones - called Leverets - are born. in one of its "forms" They have furry coats and large upright ears. The mother does not worry much about them and soon they are nibbling grass and going their own way. The female hare is known as a "doc" and the male is called the jack'. When two jack hares meet they may rear on their hind legs and beat each other with their fore paws - but such combats are seldom serious
	23 THE RABBIT (Oryctolaguseas cuniculus) The rabbit is one of the best know mammals met with in the British Isles It came to Northern Europe from the Siberian Peninsula. and was probably brought across the English Channel by some of the sporting Norman barons Anyhow the rabbit soon made itself at home and spread to most parts of the land. Efforts to keep it within bounds met with small success - until the disease called myxomatosis broke out when rabbits vanished from wide areas. They have - however - reappeared in many places
	24 THE BLACK OR OLD ENGLISH RAT (Rattus rattus) Rats are of Asiatic origin and came to Western Europe comparatively recently. The black rat - which may be grey or fawn as well as black - arrived about the time of the Crusades. It is a mouse like animal of lighter build than the brown rat. It is very active and easily invaded the old wooden houses - where being susceptible to the dreaded bubonic plague - it was - by means of its fleas - an agent in the spread of the disease. In early Georgian days the brown rat came and ousted the black - but the latter is still to be found in many ports and frequently on ships.
	25 THE COMMON OR BROWN RAT (Rattus norvegicus) The common or brown rat reached Britain about the time of the great fire of London and was established by early Georgian times - hence it is sometimes called the Hanoverian rat. A native of Asia - it has now attained almost world wide distribution as a more or less parasitic species. In ship and warehouse - stackyard and granary - the rat enjoys itself and flourishes - despite the most strenuous efforts to keep it under control. The damage done by rats in the course of twelve months is truly terrific. Yet some rats - the white and piebald ones - are popular as children's pets.
	26 THE DORMOUSE (Muscardinus avellanarius) The dormouse with yellow buff fur - large dark eyes and a long rather fluffy tail - is a beautiful little animal. It haunts thickets - dingles and hazel coppices - where it climbs aloft to feed on nuts and insects. It builds a breeding nest in the bushes but when autumn comes it seeks a safe refuge down a hole or under a tree stump. Here it falls asleep - only waking from hibernation when the temperature rises Formerly common and well known as a child's pet - the dormouse has recently become much scarcer. Today it is most numerous in the south west counties of England.
	27 THE BANK VOLE (Clethrionomys glareolus) The bank vole or red mouse is a dapper little animal. It is clad in red brown above and white beneath. It is a common inhabitant of hedge bank and thicket in most parts of the British Isles. Allied but slightly different forms occur on certain Hebridean islands and on Skomer Island off the Welsh Coast. The Skomer vole is somewhat bigger and a brighter brown in colour than the common bank vole - however all the bank voles are very smart - indeed they are most attractive wee beasts.
	28 THE FIELD VOLE OR GRASS MOUSE (Microtus agrestis) A small - brown - furry - short eared - short tailed mouse - the meadow vole depends on grass for both food and shelter. It is widespread in Europe and varies a good deal but - whatever the subspecies - it is ever the same inoffensive beast watched over by owl and kestrel - buzzard and fox - weasel and stoat. Yet - despite the efforts of these predators - it is subject to periodic fluctuations when it may become excessively numerous. A vole plague is a serious thing - the swarming voles eating all greenery - but disease breaks out and they vanish for the time being.
	29 THE WATER VOLE (Arvicola amphibius) The water vole must not e confused with the rat - for it is a very different animal - yet it is often called a "water rat" - a sad misnomer seeing what a charming inoffensive creature it is. The water vole resembles in many particulars the little meadow vole of the fields. It too is a strict vegetarian and loves to nibble the succulent grasses - but its home is a burrow. at the water side and it is semi aquatic in its habits. It swims well and dives like an expert - and loves to nibble the reeds and rushes. We find it on rivers - canals - lakes and in damp places.
	30 THE WATER SHREW (Neomys fodiens) The water shrew is a be little animal - clad in black velvet with a white underneath - that lives at the waterside and feeds on grubs - aquatic insects and the small things of damp places. The water shrew is an expert swimmer and dives with ease - when bubbles of air caught in its fur make it look like a pencil of quicksilver. Like all the shrews this species is very keen and active - racing and chasing around with great energy If strangers meet they may go for one another and fight desperately - indeed they will probably battle to death.
	31 THE LESSER OR PIGMY SHREW (Sorex minutus) A pencil thickness of life - fur and hectic energy - the lesser or pigmy shrew is a widespread yet little known animal. Shrews are highly specialised hunters - living on insects - grubs and so on - and have no kinship with the rodents - yet they are sometimes spoken of as " Shrew mice". There are three species on the mainland of Britain - the black and white water shrew - the grey brown common shrew and the pigmy shrew - which is the smallest of living mammals. But it has spirit out of all proportion to its size - racing and chasing its tiny quarry with amazing ferocity.
	32 THE HOUSE MOUSE (Mus musculus) The house mouse is indeed well known to us all Of Asiatic origin it early linked its fortunes with those of mankind and journeyed along the trade routes - to attain practically world wide distribution The pretty white and fancy mice often kept as pets are of this species - but normally the house mouse is of plain grey hue. Its musty smell is an unpleasant characteristic - yet however we wage war against it - aided by the cat - it continues to flourish and there are few houses without a mouse or two - raiding the store cupboards and making themselves at home.
	33 THE LONG TAILED FIELD MOUSE OR WOOD MOUSE (Apodemus sylvaticus) This pretty - long tailed - sleek coated mouse - is an inhabitant of field - hedge bank - thicket and wood - nor is it averse to the garden where it often raids our seeds. A dainty wee creature it runs here and there under cover of night - for it is strictly nocturnal in its habits. However the owls keep watch on its doings and help to limit its numbers. Even so it is not only widespread - but probably the most numerous of our smaller mammals - particularly in those seasons when the mouse population rises to a peak.
	34 THE YELLOW NECKED MOUSE (Apodemus flavicollis wintoni) In many parts of the west of England - in the midland and southern counties - we meet with a large and very beautiful long tailed or wood mouse. To country folk it is known as the greyhound mouse and to scientists as Apodemus flavicollis wintoni - the yellow necked mouse of de Winton. It owes its name to a fawn band across its chest. It was first recognised as a British species in Herefordshire - our form being slightly different from the yellow necked mouse found on the Continent.
	35 THE HARVEST MOUSE (Micromys minutus) One of the most delightful of the smaller mammals found in Europe is the sandy hued harvest mouse. So small and light that a corn stem does not bend beneath it - it is a wonderful acrobat - its climbing ability being enhanced by its prehensile tail. In Britain today it is chiefly found in south eastern England - where in summer it frequents the cornfields - building a neat nest slung between the stems of the grain. In Winter it seeks refuge in hedges - ditches - and even the stacks - though the latter retreat is only a temporary one - as it is driven out at threshing time.
	36 THE NOCTULE OR GREAT BAT (Nyctalus noctula) The noctule is one of the largest of our more common British bats - to be compared with the greater horseshoe in point of size. We may see it flying strongly - high against the sunset - or we may find it at rest in the church tower - an old barn - or a hole in a tree - of course hitched up by its heels as is customary with bats - which prefer to hang head downwards. Its chief times of activity are at dusk and dawn for - like so many bats - it is largely vespertine in its habits
	37 THE LONG EARED BAT (Plecotus auritus) The long eared bat is a remarkable little animal. Its immense ears are nearly as long as its head and body - and it waves them around like great antennae. It is fond of moth hunting and pursues its quarry around bushes and in and out of branches. Its eyes though bright are not large and it is believed that it hears rather than sees its way. In flight - it utters shrill supersonic squeaks inaudible to even the keenest of human ears. These sounds are reflected from its surroundings and picked up by its 'radar' outfit - of which the extraordinary ears are part.
	38 THE GREATER HORSESHOE BAT (Rhinolophus ferrum equinum) This strange looking - most remarkable bat - with its horse shoe like appendage on its nose - shares with the Noctule the distinction of being one of our bigger members of the order Chiroptera - it having a wing span of thirteen to fourteen inches. It loves rocky recesses and may be found quite numerously in many of the caverns of south west England - where it seems to enjoy the damp atmosphere and the equable temperature.
	39 THE PIPIStrELLE (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) The pipistrelle or flittermouse is one of the most numerous of that remarkable clan - the bats - which chase insects through the summer twilight. The country name of "flittermouse" recalls the old belief that the bat is half mouse and half bird. In fact it is a member of an extraordinarily specialised order of mammals - the Chiroptera - far removed from the rodents and having nothing whatever to do with birds. The pipistrelle is one of our smallest bats. The little bats that flutter about the house and up and down the garden path are usually of this species.
	40 THE SAND LIZARD (Lacerta agilis) This lizard is a southern species so far as the British Isles are concerned - being as its name suggests a creature of sandy situations. It varies much in colour and markings - being sometimes of brown hue and sometimes quite green. Its usual colour is brownish green. It lays eggs - a dozen or more in the sand - carefully covering them up and leaving the sun to hatch them. In the case of the common lizard the young hatch before birth and come into the world as perfect little lizards.
	41 THE COMMON LIZARD (Lacerta vivipara) The common lizard loves the heath lands - sun warmed rocks and places where it can sit and bask - but it is a quick nimble little thing - and is not easy to surprise. Make a movement towards it and it vanishes as if by magic. It lives on flies and other small things - and its young - which are miniature editions of the parent - need similar fare but of even smaller size. The lizard has its foes. The watchful kestrel hovering on high may see it - drop swiftly groundwards and pick it up before it is aware of the danger A fox may also snap it up and even the cat may spring on it.
	42 THE GRASS SNAKE (Natrix natrix) The grass snake - the largest reptile found in Great Britain - which may attain as much as 30 ins. or more in length - may be distinguished from the adder by the absence of pattern on the back and the presence of dark marks on the flanks. Its ground colour is olive buff. It is quite harmless to all things bigger than frogs - newts and similar creatures on which it feeds. It lays eggs under piles of decaying vegetation - in manure heaps and such situations - the small snakes that emerge being miniature editions of their parents.
	43 THE ADDER (Vipera berus) The adder or viper is the only poisonous snake found in Great Britain. It does not occur in Ireland - although it is widespread on the Continent. It varies a good deal in colour - but the typical specimen is grey buff with a dark diamond pattern down the spine. It is an inoffensive creature and does not attack if left alone. Its bite is not dangerous to a healthy person - though by no means a thing to trifle with. It can be fatal to dogs and sheep. An average adder is 20 ins. or a little more in length. Its favourite haunts are moors and heaths.
	44 BLINDWORM OR SLOW WORM (Anguis fragilis) The blindworm or slow worm is not blind and it is not slow - moreover it is not a snake despite the fact that it looks like one. Without mark or pattern - olive buff in colour - this legless lizard is quite common. It is generally about 18 ins. in length and is often thought to be a "poisonous snake" - a belief enhanced by its "sting". The so called "sting" is nothing but the black forked tongue which the blindworm flicks in and out of its mouth and uses as a feeler. In truth the blindworm is perfectly harmless and quite safe to handle.
	45 THE SMOOth SNAKE (Coronella austriaca) This is a small snake - seldom more than twenty four inches in length. It varies a good deal in colour but is usually prettily spotted on a greyish brown ground and has a narrow head. It owes its name to its smooth feel. Its scales lack the ridges that give a grass snake a rough feel. It is a local species haunting dry stony places in the south of England - places that appeal to the sand lizard upon which it preys. Its food consists of lizards - blindworms and such things.
	46 THE COMMON FROG (Rana temporaria) The frog is a well known inhabitant of the British countryside - haunting damp meadows and marshy ground. It hibernates in winter but emerges at the first hint of spring - when it seeks water - chooses a mate and lays quantities of jelly like spawn. From this mass of eggs there emerge numbers of small dark tadpoles. These swim about in the pond and grow rapidly. As they grow they undergo a transformation. Legs appear - the tail is absorbed and gills give place to lungs. The juvenile frog leaves the water for the waterside vegetation where it hunts insects and grubs.
	47 THE EDIBLE FROG (Rana esculenta) This is the frog well known on the Continent for its edible qualities. Whether it is a native of Britain is doubtful though it occurs in various places in south eastern England - where it has probably been introduced. The. male has a very loud strong voice. The globular sacs one on each side of the head are noticeable. The common frog does not possess such sacs. The edible frog is a much more aquatic species than the common frog and does not wander far from the water in which it dives and swims with such skill.
	48 THE COMMON TOAD (Bufo bufo) The common toad is a familiar inhabitant of garden and field. It leaves its hiding place in the evening to search for insects and grubs. It may ?e known from a frog by its rough warty skin; from these warty glands It can - when annoyed - emit an acid secretion that makes it distasteful to dogs - cats - foxes - owls - etc. The toad breeds in the spring in some favoured pond. Its spawn is in long strings of jelly like eggs - from which little black tadpoles emerge. These are eventually transformed into tiny toads which leave the pool for the land.
	49 THE NATTERJACK TOAD (Bufo calamita) The natterjack is a small greyish toad - of very local distribution in Great Britain - though occurring in widespread places from Scotland to the south of England. It also occurs in Ireland. Where it is found it may be quite numerous. It has a creamy line down its spine which is a useful means of identification - and it is not so warty in appearance as the Common toad - moreover it is more brisk in its movements and gives the impression of being longer in its limbs.
	50 THE PalMATED NEWT (Triturus helyetieus) We have three newts in the British Isles - the great crested newt - the common newt and the palmated newt which owes its name to the webbing between the toes of its hind feet - a characteristic that distinguishes it from the two first mentioned species. This webbing is shown in our picture. All three species breed in water and their young begin life as tadpoles similar to those of the frog. After breeding in the spring the newts come ashore and in winter hide in some convenient nook to hibernate until spring returns.
	Illustrated and described by C F Tunnicliffe

"Your everlasting summer - You can see it fading fast"
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