T, T. EOBEETS — nERTFOUDSniUE MAMMALIA. 173 



iu living: spooimons, is not very obsorvablo in the mounted skins. 

 As ivii'iirds the tield-vole or short-tailed tiehl-inouso, as it is gener- 

 ally termed, I should be g;lad of a specimen measnring six inches 

 froTU the nose to the root of the tail. They are often found of this 

 size, but I have seen none hereabouts. 



Last March, when I was away from home, a box arrived marked 

 "Live Mice." It was brought into the drawing-room, where my 

 wife and some other ladies were assembled at a working party. I 

 regret to say that so far from any rational scientific interest being 

 exhibited in the arrival, screams and entreaties that the box might 

 not be opened, were the only welcome accorded the little strangers. 

 They turned out to be a consignment of bank-voles {Arvicola 

 glareolus) from Haresfoot Farm. They were found in a nest formed 

 in a heap of mangolds. There were a great number of them, and 

 the men caught in their hands those that were sent to me. I had 

 a cage made for them in three compartments, one for sleeping, 

 another for food, and at the end a revolving wheel, on the lolan of 

 the ordinary dormouse-cages, but on a larger scale. It was most 

 interesting and amusing to note the first experiments the little 

 creatures made with the wheel. They quickly discovered the hole 

 through wliich they could get inside it, but at first were greatly 

 puzzled and frightened at the motion. Very speedily, however, 

 they discovered that they could make it revolve, and then their 

 delight was iinbounded. They never seemed to tire of working it 

 night and day ; some were always at work, and often three or four 

 would be in at the same time. If one approached to look at them 

 they might bolt out for a moment, but would immediately return. 

 On July 23rd I foimd two young ones, evidently just born, on the 

 platform under the wheel. They had slipped through the wires. 

 On putting them into the sleeping-place I saw another. When the 

 little gild who attended to them used to drive those which happened 

 to be outside into the sleeping-place, in order to clean out the 

 middle compartment, she occasionally heard sounds of fighting. On 

 the 26th of July, on raising the trap-door that shuts off the sleeping- 

 place, after the cleaning had been finished, one rushed out bleeding 

 in the head, and was followed by the mother with a young one in 

 her mouth. The wounded one I found dead the next morning. 

 Our idea was that it had attacked the little ones and been bitten 

 by the mother. On the 6th of August I opened the sleeping-com- 

 partment and found three little ones covered with hair and lively 

 enough. The young ones soon found out the revolving wheel, but 

 their mother apparently disapproved or considered it to be too 

 dangerous. It was amusing to see her follow them, seize them 

 in her mouth, and hustle them into their sleeping-nest. One young 

 one was, however, very persistent, and kept running back, but his 

 mother followed, and not only carried him back to the sleeping- 

 place, but shook him and thumped him on the floor on the way, 

 evidently as a means of con-ection. A second family soon appeared, 

 when I thought it time to get rid of them. I fed them on com, 

 bread, apples, carrots, gooseberries, etc., with plenty of water. 



