House Mouse (Mus musculus, Linn). Known to everyone, 

 and at times a great nuisance in houses, barns, granaries, etc. 

 They are destructive little animals, and often damage valuable 

 objects. In the winter the corn stacks absolutely swarm with them, 

 and hundreds are killed during a day's threshing. In some parts of 

 the country they are still cooked and given to children suffering from 

 various diseases. I have seen sandy coloured ones with pink eyes, 

 and others spotted more or less with white. I have seen the nest 

 made in the midst of a bread loaf. 



Harvest Mouse (Mus minutus, Lznn).One of the smallest 

 as well as one of the most graceful of our indigenous mammals. 

 They are somewhat local, and rarely occur in the north. The nest 

 is a most beautiful structure, and is generally placed a foot or two 

 up on the corn stalks, being composed of the sheaths of the jStalks 

 woven into a compact mass. It is sometimes also placed in the 

 head of a big thistle. I have often kept this mouse alive, and if 

 they get the chance they are desperate cannibals, fighting fiercely 

 among themselves and devouring the slain. 



Water Vole (Microtus amphibius, Linn). This interesting 

 animal is generally known as the Water Rat from the fact that it 

 lives on the banks of rivers, lakes, and ditches ; but the voles differ 

 in many respects from the mice and rats. Their tails are shorter, 

 their ears are shorter, and so are their noses. Altogether they have 

 a blunt, thick-set appearance. The Water Vole is almost entirely 

 herbivorous, though on rare occasions it has been known to eat fish ; 

 but the ordinary brown rat, which takes to the streams in summer, 

 is generally the culprit when fish are found destroyed. The fur ^of 

 this little animal is very soft and warm, and admirably suited to its 

 aquatic habits. A beautiful black variety is obtained in some parts 

 of the country. They are very destructive at times on ornamental 

 waters to the roots and crowns of certain plants growing near at 

 hand. 



Common or Short-tailed Field Vole (Microtus a^restis t 

 Linn). This is the destructive little rodent which at times has 

 done an immense amount of damage on the grazing land, especially 

 in Scotland. When all their natural enemies, such as owls, hawks, 

 weasels, etc., are destroyed, they increase and multiply at an 

 enormous rate, and descend on the country side, destroying whole- 

 sale. They also at times come into the market gardens with the 

 Long-tailed Field Mouse, and do a great deal ot harm. 



Red or Bank Vole (Evotomys glareolus, Schreber). This is a 

 much prettier vole than the foregoing, and is not nearly so numerous, 

 keeping more to banks and plantations, but I have at times 

 caught considerable numbers of them in gardens. Not very long 

 ago this vole was considered quite a rarity, but of late years they 

 have increased very much in many localities. 



Fox (Vulpes Nulpes, Linn). Top well known by everybody to 

 need much description, and his craftiness and cunning have been a 

 byword for generations in these islands. The cubs are charming 

 little things, and when brought up by hand become perfectly 

 tame ; but as they grow older they are always rr.ore or less sus- 

 picious and uncertain, though I have known several of their owners 

 under these conditions, and especially ladies, handle them with 

 impunity. Destructive at all times, the fox only exists on suffer- 

 ance, so that he may provide sport for the numerous packs of 

 hounds that are kept up throughput the kingdom ; but a fox's larder 

 when the vixen has cubs to provide for would prove an eye-opener 



