THE WATER-RAT OR WATER-VOLE. 317 



in quick succession, I have known them to forsake 

 the river entirely, and to make temporary homes 

 along the banks of the tiny brooks trickling down 

 from the hills, or even in the heart of the upland 

 woods, comparatively remote from their beloved 

 element. 



But though the river may at times prove 

 treacherous, it is nevertheless the water-voles' best 

 friend. Accustomed to seeking the water when 

 distressed, they have no idea of defending them- 

 selves, or of making the best of what chances exist, 

 when water is not at hand. A water-vole caught 

 out in the open on dry land will even turn and 

 face man, so great is the panic of its despair. If 

 beset by stoat or weasel, it makes no attempt to 

 get away, and, as described in the chapter dealing 

 with the weasel, that animal will speedily exter- 

 minate a whole family of water-voles if there is 

 no water at hand for them to go to. 



The water-vole appears to be much prized as a 

 food item by all predatory birds and animals, and 

 for this reason it cannot be doubted that in its 

 natural environment lies the secret of its survival. 

 If the voles had been purely dry-land animals, they 

 would not exist to-day ; but as things stand, the 

 weasel or the stoat, entering a water-vole's burrow, 

 is apt to find it empty, the occupants having escaped 

 in the ace of time by the back exit, and so into 

 the water, which retains no lasting scent. Similarly, 

 the hawk, striking from above, is foiled by the 

 vole's lightning plunge, and its eyes not being 

 trained to look below the surface, the bird is 

 unable to follow the course of its intended victim. 

 Indeed, it is to be noticed that few animals seem 

 to be capable of looking into water with an in- 

 telligence that takes count of anything moving 



