HARES AND RABBITS. 2TQ 



in a ploughed field ; an instance of this habit being recorded 

 by Gilbert White. In the Lake district, according to the Rev. 

 H. A. Macpherson, these animals have taken to burrowing in 

 the sandhills of Ravenglass. In summer the soft succulent 

 inner portions of the stems of flags and horse-tails, form their 

 favourite food ; but when hard pressed in winter they will make 

 raids on the farmer's store of root-crops, and will attack the 

 bark of willows and osiers. The sins of the Brown Rat are 

 often unjustly laid to the charge of the Water-Vole, in conse- 

 quence of which it is often said to be carnivorous ; but there 

 is little doubt, as stated above, that it is a purely vegetable 

 feeder. The only offences of which it can be justly convicted 

 are of tapping the banks of mill-dams, rivers, and canals by 

 means of its burrows, of damaging osier-plantations, and the 

 aforesaid raids on root-crops. 



When threatened with danger, the female Water-Vole has 

 been observed to convey her young to a place of safety by 

 taking them up in her mouth and carrying them, as a Cat does 

 her kittens. One of the great enemies of this creature is the 

 Weasel, which is able to enter its burrow and then attack it. 

 In feeding, the Vole may often be observed sitting upon its 

 haunches on the river-bank, and holding its food up to its 

 mouth with its fore-paws after the manner of a Squirrel. 



Mr. Trevor-Battye writes to me : " It is worth noticing that 

 when the Water-Vole is not hurried it will make use of its 

 hind-legs alone in swimming, carrying its fore-paws at its 

 sides, as the Seals do their flippers. I mentioned this fact in 

 my book ' Pictures in Prose ' ; elsewhere I have not seen it 

 referred to ; yet it is one which anyone, given clear water, can 

 attest for himself.' 1 



THE HARES AND RABBITS. FAMILY LEPORID^E. 



The Hares and Rabbits, together with the Picas or Tailless 

 Jrlares (Lagomys), of which there are no existing British repre- 



