ON THE VOLE AND SHREW OF THE ORKNEY ISLANDS 3 



Being anxious to make the acquaintance of this interest- 

 ing little mammal, and in order to obtain specimens for the 

 Museum, I decided, on leaving the Flannan Islands, to visit 

 Orkney for these purposes. I arrived at Stromness on the 

 evening of the 22nd of September last, and remained until 

 the morning of the 26th. I soon discovered the haunts of 

 the Vole, which are much in evidence in suitable localities, 

 by reason of its deep, channel-like runs. My experience 

 regarding both the animal and its habits was necessarily 

 limited, but I found that it was extremely abundant. It 

 went into my traps as freely at mid-day as it did during the 

 night or early morning ; indeed I frequently saw it travers- 

 ing its runs during the daytime, so that it is evidently to a 

 considerable extent diurnal in its habits. 



Its haunts were chiefly on ground clothed with short 

 heather and coarse grass. Here its runs were conspicuous 

 and extensive, being well worn and stretching for long dis- 

 tances ; and being in some cases exposed, in others forming 

 tunnels under the denser growth of vegetation. The animal 

 seems to have a predilection for the vicinity of damp 

 localities, and, frequently, its runs led to such ; indeed in 

 some instances the runs and tunnels were formed in 

 saturated sphagnum by the sides of pools of water. 



The food in the stomachs of those examined consisted 

 of a green mass of finely triturated vegetable matter. 



I append a report on the cranial and dental characters, 

 most obligingly furnished by my friend Professor O. Charnock 

 Bradley, who most kindly undertook the investigations at 



