Mice and Voles 



The other Vole Is the Red Field Vole, Bank Vole, 

 or Red Bank Vole. This is a most lively and pretty 

 example of the Vole family. In colour it is reddish- 

 brown, with slate-coloured sides, pale underparts, and 

 a very bristly tail, of a dull brown tinge above and 

 white beneath. The body, including the head, is 

 4 inches, with a tail half that length. The ears are 

 larger than those of the last named, but in most other 

 respects it resembles the Short-tailed species. Unlike 

 the latter, however, this one is frequently found in 

 woodlands, evidently delighting in quarters where 

 there are rootlets abounding, under which it can form 

 its nest. An oak coppice or a well-drained fir-wood 

 seem likely spots to unearth a specimen of the Red 

 Field Vole. As a rule, however, this species may 

 be looked upon as distinctly local in its dispersal 

 compared with its relative described above. Not so 

 many years ago this species was considered quite a 

 rarity, and its capture was chronicled in the daily Press 

 much in the same way as that of an eagle, a wild cat, 

 or an ermine is to-day. Still, in many quarters of the 

 country the Red Field Vole is by no means uncommon, 

 and may at odd times be found even within the walls 

 of the rustic garden. 



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