MAMMALS. 75 



over entire districts. Fortunately this has never hap- 

 pened in Shropshire, but as a warning to those who 

 persist in destroying such natural enemies of the mice 

 as Weasels, Owls, Buzzards, and Kestrels, it may be well 

 to give here details of one of the "Vole-plagues" that 

 have occurred in Britain, prefacing it with the remark 

 that it is only one out of many similar events in this 

 country, while on the Continent the effects have some- 

 times amounted almost to a national disaster. The 

 following is copied from Lydekker's excellent "Hand- 

 book to the British Mammalia," page 208, and refers to 

 a district in the North of England and the Scotch 

 border-land. " For two or three years previous to 1876, 

 the Voles had been observed to be on the increase. In 

 the spring of 1875 ^ e ground, which had been covered 

 with snow since December, was found to be riddled 

 with holes under the wreath-drifts, and denuded of 

 herbage, by the Voles that had found shelter there. 

 Great numbers were seen throughout the summer, when 

 cutting the bog hay. The Shepherd at Craikhope de- 

 scribed the children as ' amusing themselves by hunting 

 them from morning to night, as long as they could find 

 nothing better to do, so that each day,' he believes, 

 4 they destroyed hundreds, and the dogs devoured them 

 till they made themselves sick ! ' In the autumn of the 

 same year they continued plentiful. The farmer of 

 Howpasley, when cutting a four-acre field of corn, 

 observed numbers to be driven inwards by the reaping- 

 machine, so that when only a spot in the centre of about 

 twenty feet by five remained, he made one of the men 

 take a scythe and cut it slowly, a women lifting behind. 

 The others surrounded them, and killed the Mice as 



