NOTES ON THE ORKNEY VOLE 195 



tinued to reside in Forres, where he was much esteemed. 

 He was predeceased by Mrs. Keith, who died in 1898. 



He will live in the memory of his friends as one loved 

 and honoured for his unselfish and upright character, his 

 kindness of heart, and his ability. The accompanying 

 photograph was taken about two years ago. 



NOTES ON THE ORKNEY VOLE. 



By ROBERT GODFREY, M.A. 

 DURING a recent visit to Orkney Mr. H. Drummond 



/ 



Simpson and I spent a considerable part of our time in 

 hunting for micro-mammalia. On the day of our arrival at 

 Stromness, August 8, we visited the Black Craig and found 

 the vegetation on the upper slopes of the hill tunnelled in 

 every direction by the runs of the Orkney Vole (Micro t us 

 orcadensis, Millais.) The upper portion of the Black Craig is 

 a typical hill-pasture, covered with a dense growth of wiry 

 sedges, interspersed with ling, bell-heather, and crowberry 

 (Empetrum nigruni], and dotted profusely with grass of 

 Parnassus, cotton-grass, ragwort, scabious, and other plants. 

 Through this dense vegetation the runs extend to the very 

 crest of the hill, running in main thoroughfares up the hill- 

 side, or across its brow for hundreds of yards, and sending off 

 side-paths to traverse in intricate fashion the various mounds 

 adjoining the main routes. In the better-clad portions of the 

 hillside the runs were often completely hidden beneath the 

 thick crowberry growth, but usually they were quite apparent 

 to the eye. Periodically the run would disappear in the soil, 

 passing through an obtruding turf, or making a deliberate 

 descent for some inches into the ground to provide a more 

 secure shelter for the creatures. The runs measure from 

 two inches to two and a quarter inches in diameter, a trifle 

 broader than the transverse measurement across the vole's 

 face from whisker-tip to whisker-tip. We disturbed our first 

 Vole on the summit of the Craig from an underground 

 passage at which we had begun to dig, and forcing it to leave 



