226 THE BOOK OF THE OPEN AIR 



length of.the well-beaten "runs." Now, see it vanish down one of these holes, 



when these " runs " lead into a grass- is highly amusing. Reynard is very 



field pure and simple (as they often fond of this form of sport, and will 



do), I am quite at a loss to understand often spend hours at it. 



what a grass-field so far away has to Another deadly foe which harries 



offer that it does not afford at the the water-vole at night is the owl. 



water's edge. If it were roots we should The extraordinary keenness which the 



find signs of diggings ; and if it were owl shows in detecting the slightest 



grass, why go so far to get that which movement of a lurking vole, the silence 



grows close at hand ? Mammals sel- of its approach, and the wonderful 



dom act without a reason, as the habits certainty of its swoop in the darkness, 



of their ancestors are indelibly im- render it terribly destructive to all 



printed upon their brains. Moreover rodents. 



they rarely risk their lives without Perhaps, however, the worst enemies 



cause. which the water-vole has to reckon 



The water-vole, like most rodents, with are the stoat and the weasel, 



is unfortunate enough to possess many There is no escape from the attacks of 



enemies, and when therefore they ven- these small assassins save in the water, 



ture forth thus into the fields they run They will hunt at any hour of the day 



very serious risks and must suffer heavy or night, and they are as much at home 



losses. in the narrow winding tunnels as the 



The fox waits for them along the water-vole itself. Moreover, both the 



banks, ready to dart in and cut off stoat and the weasel are bloodthirsty 



any unwary wanderer from the water, creatures which will kill for the mere 



and generally off from life as well, pleasure of killing ; and they will, 



Sometimes, however, the fox reckons if they get the chance, slay any num- 



without his host, so to speak. It is the ber of voles. 



custom of experienced old voles to Even in the water itself the water- 

 run a branch tunnel well out into the vole is by no means safe, for the lithe 

 field, entered by a very small hole, and otter will hunt and kill it remorselessly, 

 used only upon emergency. The air The pike that shark of the fresh- 

 of chagrin assumed by a fox when he water may hurl itself at any moment 

 thinks he has got between a water- upon the luckless little creature from 

 vole and its native element, only to some dark and secret fastness by the 



