THE BANK VOLE 



will be on, not under the ground. Beneath 

 a heap of rubbish, under the shelter of a piece 

 of wood, or a big stone, this next nursery may 

 be found. In it another family will be brought 

 up and in their turn sent out to earn their own 

 living and learn the hard ways of the world. 

 The young ones at this age are particularly 

 sweet little things, clad in brown fur, but not 

 quite of so bright a tint as that of the old ones. 

 Once when walking beside a hedge I saw a small 

 bank vole sitting on the flower head of a large 

 * cow-parsley ' plant. Its perch was at least 

 three feet from the ground, but there it sat 

 quite happily, holding firmly with its hind feet, 

 and busy nibbling at a piece of the flower 

 which it held in its fore paws. It looked such 

 a wee baby to be out by itself, and if it had not 

 been so young and foolish it certainly would 

 not have sat there in broad daylight for any 

 passing hawk to see. The young voles grow 

 very quickly, and before the end of the summer 

 will probably have families of their own, but 

 they may go on growing even after this, as, 

 unlike people, they increase in size until quite 

 late in life. A full-grown bank vole is about 

 four inches long (head and body), and has a tail 

 another two inches in length. It has a very 



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