102 



Quadrupeds. 





THE WATER BAT, (Arvicola amphibia,) 



INHABITS the banks of rivers and ponds, where he digs 

 holes, always above the water-mark, and feeds on roots 

 and aquatic plants. 



This animal is nearly as large as the brown Eat, but 

 has a larger head, a blunter nose, and smaller eyes ; its 

 ears are very short, and almost hidden in the fur, and 

 the tip of its tail is whitish ; the cutting- teeth are of a 

 deep yellow colour in front, very strong, and much 

 resembling those of the beaver. Its head and back are 

 covered with long black hair, and its belly with iron 

 gray. Tail more than half the length of the body, 

 covered with hairs. Fur thick and shining ; of a rich 

 reddish brown, mixed with gray above, yellowish gray 

 beneath. The female produces a brood of five or six 

 young ones once (and sometimes twice) a year. 



