SQUIRRELS, BEAVERS, DORMICE, AND RATS 255 



vicinity of streams. It does relatively little damage, however, 

 except to osier plantations, or by pushing its burrows through 

 dams and canal banks. As it is a relatively large and handsome 

 creature, and an almost necessary adjunct to the exquisite stream 

 landscapes still existing in England, it should be placed under 

 protection, and allowed to increase and multiply within due 

 bounds. 



As regards its distribution, it is unknown in Ireland, but 

 almost universally distributed throughout England, Wales, and 

 Scotland as far north as Caithness. It has not, however, been 

 found in Argyleshire or in the large islands oJfF the west coast of 

 Scotland. It is found fossil in various parts of Southern England, 

 dating back to, at any rate, the middle of the Pleistocene period, 

 if not earlier. Outside Great Britain the water vole is distributed 

 right across Central Europe and Asia to China. 



Evotomys glareolus. The Bank Vole^ 



This animal is perhaps a little smaller than the field vole, 

 measurements of average specimens from the tip of the nose to 

 the root of the tail not exceeding 3|- in., while the tail measures 

 i^ in., and is consequently a little longer proportionately than 

 the tail of the field vole. Of late years it has been placed in a 

 separate genus, Evotomys^ owing to the marked difference in the 

 molar teeth from those of the genus Microtus. It is perhaps a 

 more generalised Rodent, as the molar teeth develop roots in the 

 adult, while the prismatic spaces in between the zigzags of enamel 

 are fewer in number. The head is shorter and rounder, the nose 

 a little more arched, and the eye larger. The ears are slightly 

 more erect, and perhaps a trifle larger than in the field vole. As 

 regards coloration, the feet are whitish, and there is a white line 

 on the under side of the jaws. The sides of the muzzle, the 

 chest, belly, and the insides of the limbs are pale gray, as is also 

 the under side of the tail. The upper parts of the body are 

 yellowish-red or chestnut, and the upper part of the tail tends to 

 become blackish-brown. The breeding habits resemble those of 

 ^ Sometimes called the wood vole, or red vole. 



