THE WATER VOLE. 353 



plunges to the bottom of the water if alarmed, but rises to the 

 surface to breathe about every minute. In the act of swimming, 

 which it also performs admirably, it usually keeps its head 

 close along the surface of the water. 

 Mary Howitt very justly calls it 



" A glad innocent creature, for whom was ordained, 

 The quiet of brooks, and the plants they contained ;" 



for though it is commonly asserted that it devours young 

 ducks, small fish, frogs, earthworms, and insects, yet there 

 is not the slightest foundation for that statement. " Its food," 

 as Professor Bell observes, " consists exclusively of vegetables, 

 and principally of roots, or of subaquatic plants ; and there 

 can be no doubt that the belief of its carnivorous habits has 

 arisen from its being confounded with the common brown rat 

 (Mus decumanus), which is well-known to frequent the banks 

 of ditches, and to feed readily on almost all animal substances, 

 attacking even the smaller animals alive, when driven by 

 hunger." 



The female water vole brings forth five or six young in her 

 subterranean abode, in May or June -, but sometimes as early 

 as April, in which case she probably produces another litter 

 in the course of the summer. 



Buffon says, that the French peasantry eat the water vole on 

 maigre days. 



THE LEMMING. 



(Georychus lemmus, Illig.; Mus lemmus> Linn.) 

 Lapland Marmot. 



The lemming inhabits only the northern confines of Europe, 

 as Lapland, Norway, and Sweden. 



It is about the size of the water vole 5 the body thick, 

 variegated with black and fawn colour, having the sides of 

 the head and upper parts white ; the eyes are small j the legs 



2 A 



