THE COMMON FIELD VOLE 



145 



of riparian owners, and being a great traveller in quest of food is 

 injurious to forester, farmers and gardeners practising in the vicinity 

 of its haunts. Of course, it cannot be tolerated in watercress 

 beds, and is equally objectionable in those of osiers, while in nur- 

 series in proximity to streams it often does serious harm by cutting 

 the roots and in barking the stems of ligneous plants. Indeed, 

 sportive and amusing as Microtus or Arvicola amphibia may be 

 to the waterside stroller, the cultivator can have no respect. 



The water-vole may be captured in the ordinary Small Dorset 

 Vermin Trap with 3-in. jaws, but better by the Musk Rat 

 Trap (Fig. 93) as occupying less room, set in water-level runs 

 or even in those below the water under the side of the bank, 

 concealing the trap by freshly-cut herbage similar to that grow- 



FIG. 94. SOLID GROUND PITFALL TRAP FOR VOLES. 



References : n, open mouth ; o, under-sloping sides ; p, pit bottom. 



ing on the bank or in the water, duly securing the trap to a peg by 

 a long chain so as to give the victim opportunity of taking to the 

 water and being held there by the weight of the trap and quickly 

 drowned. The water-vole, having short legs, sometimes escapes 

 capture when an ordinary 3-in. jaws vermin trap is used, even a 

 Musk Rat Trap with 4|-inch jaws either missing the legs or enabling 

 the animal to escape minus a limb or two ; but generally the vole 

 is caught by the body, especially in the larger traps (5 or 6 in . 

 jaws), and killed at once. Sometimes bait is used on the table 

 such as a raw potato, the trap being so set that the bait is about 

 half out of the water, but the trap carefully concealed. In 

 bank runs the Kentish Mole Trap proves very effective, setting at 

 some distance inside the land entrance to the holes. 



The COMMON FIELD-VOLE (Microtus or Arvicola agrestis) dwells 

 in fields, and is at all times to be found in pastures, attracting 



