THE RED FIELD VOLE 21 



1660, 1745, 1813, 1825, 1836, 1864-7, an d 1875-6. In 1813-14, 

 the New Forest in Hampshire suffered severely from the depreda- 

 tions of these voles, when the raptorial birds (such as owls, hawks, 

 etc.), weasels, stoats, and many other carnivorous animals are as- 

 sumed to have been more numerous than in 1876, when a plague 

 of these animals (voles) visited farms on the borders of England 

 and Scotland and committed much havoc, also again during 1891 

 and 1892. 



RED FIELD VOLE (Arvicola glareolus), Fig. 19. This little rodent 

 animal is notable for its broad blunt head, short ears almost hidden 

 in fur, short legs and tail, and peculiar reddish brown of its coat. 

 It inhabits woodland glades, hedgebanks (hence the name of bank 

 vole or bank campagnol), meadows, rough grassy parts of parks 

 and pleasure grounds, orchards and other places with a grassy and 

 mossy bottom. Like the field vole, it makes" shallow runs among 

 the grass roots, and feeds largely upon the tender white parts of the 

 grasses. In the thick soil-covering of grass it makes a nest of grass, 



FIG. 19. THE RED FIELD VOLE. 



leaves and moss, breeding twice yearly and producing four to eight 

 at a birth. 



From the general feeding and breeding quarters, the red field 

 vole makes incursions into gardens, causing serious havoc among 

 bulbs, nibbling off ferns and other plants, biting tasty roots such 

 as carrots, and cutting off the berries of strawberries and piling 

 them in heaps before or after extracting the seeds. In nurseries 

 the red field voles attack the terminal buds of young trees, especially 

 Scots pine seedlings and "transplants" of 2ft. or more height, 

 and there and in plantations of young trees nibble off the bark 

 just above the ground, singling for special attack, larch, pine and 

 aspen, also dogwood and elder, carrying on the destructive work 

 from November to March inclusive. At times they invade plant 

 and fruit houses, and being excellent climbers, mount shelves and 

 nibble off the berries of forced strawberries. But grass and seeds 

 form the chief dietary of red field voles, even in winter when the 



