The Wiltshire snare

The Wiltshire Snare is a creature of wonder.  Beautiful, shy and migratory, they are unique to Wiltshire and spend their lives in small family groups, called Clans.

They are rarely seen nowadays, elusive and private creatures, there has been very little study of their habitat, anatomy or behaviour.

The single definitive study that exists today was carried out by amateur biologist, Olivia Emily Moses (known as Emily), in the 1880s.

A recent sighting of a pair of Wiltshire Snares, eggs and Snarlings.
A 3:1 scale model of a male Snare.
A sketch by Emily Moses, dated 1886.

History of The Wiltshire Snare

Sketches and paintings of The Wiltshire Snare

Olivia Emily Moses, known as Emily, was a prolific sketcher during her life, leaving behinds and array of notebooks, diaries and sketch pads.

Postcards between Emily Moses and friends and family

A selection of postcards to Emily over the years..

Letters between Emily Moses and friends and family

Emily Moses was a keen letter writer, and a lot of her correspondence survives.

Emily Moses diary

Emily Moses sporadically kept a diary from 1885 until her death in 1949. Shared here are some early scribblings, illustrated with little snippets of daily life. They detail some of the early sightings of the Wiltshire Snare.