THE WATER-EAT OR WATER-VOLE. 313 



tipped predominates more and more as the seasons 

 pass. Thus an old water-vole may be quite brown, 

 simply because its blue under-fur does not show 

 through its outer coating of brown hair ; but 

 a young vole may be quite blue, the shade of 

 its under-fur being the predominating hue. At 

 all ages the fur is so dense as to give the oblong 

 appearance already referred to, there being a 

 distinct ruff round the neck, while the small, 

 blunt ears are completely buried in their surround- 

 ing covering. Black varieties are known in parts 

 of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Scotland. 



The fact that in summer-time the gray or house 

 rats often turn the water-voles out of the bank- 

 burrows and take possession of them may be the 

 cause of confusion between the two. Thus, in 

 addition to suffering the first injury from the rats, 

 the voles, as a direct result of the said injury, 

 are subjected on their return to man's persecution 

 in mistake for the unwelcome invaders. 



CLANNISHNESS. 



Water-voles are clannish little creatures. They 

 live in families, and appear to be much devoted 

 to each other. The families do not intermingle. 

 Each little clan has its own strictly observed 

 range, and does not trespass on the preserves of 

 its neighbours. A boulder of rock in mid-stream 

 may be the common property of all ; but even 

 here the clans do not associate, though all may 

 use the boulder in passing. If a member of one 

 clan is already on the rock, and a member of 

 another clan swims up to rest there, the first 

 tenant immediately makes off, as though anxious 

 to avoid a tete-a-tete. This I have noticed many 

 times. Similarly, if one vole is compelled to 



