2i 4 THE OPEN COUNTRY 



them than cats or dogs; but buzzards would not be sufficient in themselves to 

 materially diminish the multitude, and it is thus fortunate that the field-mice 

 themselves are subject to epidemics which destroy them by thousands. 



In 1843 a field-mouse was found in Brunswick in a ploughed field near the 

 edge of a forest and described as Microtus campestris. It is of a dark brownish 

 grey above, and white with a rusty hue below, the feet being rusty white, 

 with six small pads on the soles of the hind pair. The total length is 4 inches ; 

 the tail measuring If inches, and the ears being one-third the length of the head. 

 Later on this field-mouse was discovered in other places, but it is still the rarest of 

 the European species, and its habits are unknown, although it appears by its behaviour 

 in captivity to be much more active than the common field-mouse, especially when 

 searching for food. 



other short- The ordinary British short-tailed field-mouse (M. agrestis) is one 



Tailed Fieid-Mice. f t ne m ost abundant species. The total length is 4i inches ; the tail 

 measuring If inches, and the ears being one-third as long as the head. This species 

 is spread over the greater part of Europe from northern Italy in the south to Finland 

 in the north, and from Spain, France, and Great Britain in the west to Russia in 

 the east. It lives chiefly in meadows and marshy ground, and in habits resembles 

 M. arvalis, feeding on seeds, roots, and all sorts of herbage. In gardens it does 

 great harm to crocus-bulbs and newly sewn peas and beans ; in winter, when food 

 is scarce, it climbs trees and gnaws the bark, and does not even disdain insects 

 and meat. 



Another species inhabiting central Europe is M. svhterraneus, which in colour 

 is rusty grey above, and white below, with the feet whitish grey, and the ears 

 one-third the length of the head, and hidden in the fur. On the soles of the hind-feet 

 there are five pads, and the total length is 3^ inches, the tail length being 1^ inches. 

 This species is represented by several local varieties, and seems to be generally 

 spread over Belgium, France, and western and central Germany, although not found 

 beyond the Alps and the Pyrenees, nor to the north of Germany. Living in 

 marshy meadows and orchards, it prefers the neighbourhood of rivers, and often 

 appears in cultivated fields as well as in mountain-pastures. It does much harm in 

 gardens, feeding on roots, such as parsnips, carrots, and artichokes, and storing up 

 a supply of provisions in galleries under ground. Like all its relatives, it eats 

 worms and insects, and in captivity does not even spare its fellows. This field-mouse, 

 on account of its small ears and eyes, is evidently not fitted to live above ground, 

 and by burrowing numerous and extensive passages makes a considerable area for 

 itself beneath the surface. While the continental field-mouse allows other field- 

 mice to enter its realm, the present species keeps its numerous dwellings to itself. 



_ The hamsters are near relatives of the voles, with which they 



Hamster. ... 



form a large group of almost universal distribution. The common 



hamster (Crieetus frumentarius) is one of the most richly coloured animals of 



Europe, and ranges from the Rhine to the Obi in Siberia, although rare in some 



localities, and absent entirely from others, the nature of the soil having much to 



do with its distribution. It is unknown in the British Isles ; and is remarkable 



not only on account of the presence of a gland in the middle of the back but for 



its social habits and complex underground dwellings. 



