26 



NATURAL HISTOIIY OF SELBORNE. 



WATER-RAT. 



I mentioned to you in town. The person that brought me the last says 

 they are plenty in harvest, at which time I will take care to get 

 more ; and will endeavour to put the matter out of doubt, whether it 

 be a nondescript species or not. 



I suspect much there may be two species of water-rats. Ray says, 

 and Linnaeus after him, that the water-rat is web-footed behind. Now 

 I have discovered a rat on the banks of our little stream that is 



not web-footed, and 

 yet is an excellent 

 swimmer and diver : 

 it answers exactly to 

 the mus amphibius 

 of Linnaeus (see Syst. 

 Nat.) which he says 

 "natal in fossis et 

 urinatur." I should 

 be glad to procure 

 one " plantis palma- 

 tis."* Linnaeus seems 

 to be in a puzzle about 

 his mus amphibius, 

 and to doubt whether 

 it differs from his 

 mus terrestris ; which 

 if it be, as he allows, 

 the " mus agrestis capite grandi brachyuros,"^ of Ray, is widely different 

 from the water-rat, both in size, make, and manner of life. 



As to the falco, which I mentioned in town, I shall take the liberty 

 to send it down to you into Wales ; presuming on your candour, that 

 you will excuse me if it should appear as familiar to you as it is strange 

 to me. Though mutilated " qualem dices . . . antehacfuisse, tales cum 

 sint reliquice ! " 



It haunted a marshy piece of ground in quest of wild-ducks and 

 snipes; but, when it was shot, had just knocked down a rook, which it 

 was tearing in pieces. I cannot make it answer to any of our English 



clearer in tone than any of the other warblers, the nightingale excepted ; he is a 

 delightful addition to our summer songsters. The black-cap has a very extensive 

 geographical distribution, reaching northward to Norway and Lapland, and we 

 have good authorities for its occurrence in Africa, Japan, Java, Madeira, and the 

 Azores. Mr. Beiinet has copied a note from Mr. Rennie's edition, in which the 

 latter states : " Dr. Heiueken informs us, that it (the black-cap) is stationary in 

 Madeira, consequently Sir W. Jardine is wrong in thinking our birds retire 

 thither. " We have no doubt whatever in Dr. Heineken being right, but it does 

 not follow from that, that some do not migrate there also. The song-thrush 

 generally is stationary in Great Britain, but hundreds migrate to and from every 

 year, so do goldcrests, and many other species. "Where it is probable they 

 partly retire," are the words of the original note. 



* There is only one species of water-rat in Great Britain, Arvicnla, amphibius, 

 Desmarest. The feet are not webbed or palmated. The black coloured water- 

 rat of the north is now considered as a variety only. 



t In the short-tailed field-mouse, or field-vole, Arvicola agrestis of Fleming and 

 Ball. The Rev. Leonard Jenyns has given the distinctions of the British 

 arvicolse in " Annals of Natural History," vol. vii. 



