328 THE WATER-RAT OR WATER-VOLE. 



abilities for its food ; in fact, its needs in the 

 under- water line extend just so far as, and no 

 farther than, is necessary for evading its foes. An 

 under-water passage of a few feet generally suffices 

 to take the vole to a place of safety, and its 

 abilities do not exceed these simple requirements. 

 It is, if anything, a weaker swimmer than is the 

 house-rat, for if its initial dash for cover fails, it 

 quickly loses heart, and falls an easy victim to its 

 persecutor. 



MENTALITY. 



It will be seen from all that has been said that 

 the water-vole stands well up in the scale of intelli- 

 gence higher, indeed, than many of the larger 

 mammals with which this book deals. It possesses 

 the gift of profiting by previous experience, which 

 is the true measure of wisdom in the wild. It has 

 learnt by sad experience that flood-water is the 

 most potent of its foes, and accordingly it guards 

 against this inevitable peril in the best way it 

 knows. It places its nest and its winter store, 

 if such it should happen to possess, well above 

 high-water mark. It constructs its bank-burrow 

 in such a way that it cannot be drowned, or 

 be frozen in during winter frosts. Realising the 

 peril that lurks in the skies, it digs subways to 

 its distant feeding-grounds so that it can come 

 and go unseen. When its young are very small, 

 surprise floods are their greatest danger, and so 

 they are nursed above flood -line. Immediately 

 they are old enough to move about a little the 

 danger of surprise attacks from weasels or gray 

 rats outweighs the danger of the flood, and so they 

 are taken to the bank-burrow, where the water that 

 might have drowned them is at hand to save them. 



