104 ANIMAL LIFE OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



freshwater snails and the like ; otherwise his food appears to 

 be restricted mainly to the stems of horsetails and the succulent 

 grasses, flags, loosestrife, and sedges that grow along the banks. 

 Mr. A. Patterson says that in East Anglia he eats dead fish 

 and living swan-mussels also crayfish ; but prefers the stems 

 of the succulent grasses that grow in shallow ditches. That 

 he is not a strict vegetarian appears to be proved by the fact 

 that he is sometimes captured in rat-traps that have been 

 baited with meat. St. John says that in spring, before the 

 grasses are much grown the Water Vole feeds largely upon 

 toads, rejecting the feet which it bites off and leaves in little 

 heaps. We have been assured by a Surrey woodlander of long 

 experience and an intelligent observer, that he has known the 

 Water Vole on several occasions to indulge in very young 

 chickens ; but he admits this is a very rare occurrence and 

 that it scarcely detracts from the Water Vole's reputation as 

 a vegetarian. 



On the flanks, about halfway between the shoulder and the 

 tail, will be found a pair of wrinkled glands which secrete a 

 greasy matter with a musky odour. These are present in both 

 sexes. Though the odour probably protects the Water Vole 

 from some animals that might otherwise prey upon it, it does 

 not appear to be objectionable to the Heron, the Owl, or the 

 Stoat. When, to escape from real or fancied danger on land it 

 suddenly dives into the water, it is not always to safety, for 

 pike, large trout, and eels have been observed to seize them. 



The Water Vole does not hibernate ; but it has been said 

 to lay up considerable stores for the inclement season when 

 food will be scarce and difficult to find. These stores consist 

 of nuts, beechmast, acorns, and the creeping underground 

 stems of the horsetails. During the milder nights that come 

 in winter he issues from his chamber in the bank and feeds 

 upon young willow shoots ; and though mainly a nocturnal 

 animal will often take advantage of the higher temperature at 



