76 MAMMALS. 



In the voles we have a group distinct from the rats 

 and mice, and outwardly distinguished by their clumsier 



build and shorter ears and tail. Being almost 

 "Water- Vole. ,. , . . .. . ,. 7. 



entirely vegetarian in their feeding, they are 



even worse enemies of the farmer. 



The Water- Vole is often misnamed "water-rat," though, 

 as I had occasion to point out in a previous work, water- 

 rats, so common in Australia, have no place 



" in the Britisl1 fauna - This false analogy has 

 possibly been heightened by the fact that the 

 black race of this vole, common in our eastern counties 

 and in parts of Scotland, is often reported as a genuine 

 black rat. Like the other voles, this animal is unknown 

 in Ireland and on some of the Scottish isles. 



For all that its toes (of which the fore-feet have four, 

 the hind-feet five) are not webbed, this vole is a remark- 

 ably good swimmer, striking out with its hind-legs after the 

 fashion of a frog. It is also a diver, and will, as I have often 

 timed it, remain below the surface for more than a minute. 

 It makes its nest usually in the neighbourhood of 

 water, but sometimes far from it ; and the 

 female appears to bring forth a litter of six 

 or seven in early summer. A nest of seven dead voles 

 was found by me this summer on the banks of the little 

 stream at Felpham in Sussex. 



The food of this vole consists almost exclusively of 

 aquatic plants and insects, principally the former. It 

 is accused of destroying fish-spawn and water- 

 fowl, but this is untrue. I watched one quite 

 recently through my glasses rooting up the gravel in the 

 bed of the Hampshire Stour, and it was easy to see from 

 its rapid movements beneath the surface that it was pur- 

 suing water-larvae of some description, as it turned and 

 doubled in a manner totally unnecessary had it been 

 merely picking up spawn. As for an animal of such 

 comparatively sluggish habits catching water -fowl, it 

 seems difficult to credit. 



