A MINIATURE BRITISH FAUNA 109 



where there are many cats. Hence it may be said 

 that to our domestication of the cat we owe our 

 large clover-crops. With one exception, the long- 

 tailed field-mouse is the smallest British mammal. 

 It is an exquisitely formed little creature with a 

 beautiful tapered head, long ears, whiskers and 

 tail, and bright dark eyes, which are large and 

 prominent. The upper parts of the animal are 

 dark yellowish-brown, and the lower whitish. 



II 

 VOLES 



THE British voles are diminutive beavers that haunt 

 the watersides, and lead a fairy-like existence 

 among the osier-beds and lily-pads. To be seen, 

 they must be sought for; for, although the casual 

 observer hardly knows of their existence, yet they 

 are common enough in their aquatic haunts. They 

 know nothing of winter, and their delectable lives 

 are lived on through ever-recurring summers. By 

 the time that autumn has embrowned the nut- 

 bushes, they have their tiny stores complete, and curl 

 up for a seven months' sleep. 



Until lately, naturalists knew but little of 

 the life-history of the voles. Their extreme small- 

 ness, their shyness, and retiring habits, prevented 



