OF CHESHIRE AND NORTH WALES. 249 
still preserved in the Museum Collection; but the animal, for 
want of attention, was destroyed by ‘‘moths” before the 
collections were removed to the present building. 
Long-tailed Field Mouse (Mus sylvaticus, Linn.) A 
common and very injurious species to the early crops of peas in 
gardens. ‘There is a curious pale-buff variety of this species in 
the Museum, Collection, presented by Mr. Crum, Broxton Old 
Hall, Cheshire, who obtained it on his estate. 
Common House-Mouse (Aus musculus, Linn.) 
Old English Black Rat /d/us Rattus, Linn.) Aldersey, 
Cheshire, seems to be the only habitat for this species in the 
Society’s district. There is a very poor immature specimen 
from Aldersey Hall in the Museum Collection, and a fine 
example from Widnes, which is just beyond our borders. It is 
now about five years since I heard of the species at Aldersey ; 
at that time a resident told me they were then fairly common. 
Common Brown or Norway Rat (Mus decumanus, Pallas.) 
My friend Mr. StorrtE, the late Curator of the Cardiff Museum, 
informs me that this persistent pest is getting the worst of it at 
Cardiff; or at any rate the black indigenous species has undoubt- 
edly increased 
Family—A R VICOLIDZ:. 
Water-Vole (Arvicola amphibius, Linn.) Abundant; in the 
marshy districts of Thornton-le-Moors, Ince, and Frodsham, I 
have frequently seen almost black specimens of this species. 
Common Field-Vole (Avvicola agrestis, Linn.) At Ince, 
Cheshire, in July, 1882, a large hay-field was so completely in- 
fested with this species that I can compare it, on a smaller scale, 
to nothing short of the “Scotch Plague” of 1892; nearly every 
foot of ground was traversed with their runs, and the animals 
simply swarmed. ‘There is an albino specimen in the Museum 
Collection from Nantwich, presented by Mr. W. SmirH. Also 
two pretty pied varieties, both taken from a nest at Cotton 
Edmunds, near Chester. 
Red Field-Vole (Arvicola glareolus, Schreber.) Probably 
commoner than is supposed; owing to its close resemblance to 
the former it is undoubtedly often overlooked. We are consider- 
ably indebted to the Rev. C. Wottey Dop for the Museum 
specimens. He writes from Edge Hall, Malpas, October 3oth, 
1891: ‘“‘I send three specimens of Arvicola riparia, Yarrell, 
caught in my garden last night. The species is common enough, 
but not sufficiently distinguished by ordinary observers from 
A. agrestis, which is less easy to trap with cheese, the ordinary 
bait.”’ I have not observed specimens in a state of nature, nor 
do I know of any other locality. 
