II. 



THE VOLES. 



THERE are three varieties of British voles, to each of which 

 we have incidentally referred in the body of the book the 

 water-vole (p. 52), the field-vole (p. 104), and the bank- 

 vole (p. 61). 



They are all partially dormant in the winter, laying up in 

 their holes tiny stores of food against a temporary awakening. 

 They are all very shy and retiring, and till a comparatively 

 late period, were little known, and were vulgarly confused 

 with rats and mice. They belong to a wholly different 

 class, and as we have said, are really more miniature beavers 

 than rats or mice. They are all great tunnellers, and drive 

 their little runs with the utmost precision to the exact point 

 they desire. The two first are strictly vegetable feeders, 

 but some say that the third has learned to try an insect diet. 



1. The water-vole (Arvicola amphibius] is the largest of 

 the three. He usually has his abode on the borders of a 

 pond or stream, and delights to browse on the herbage on 

 the banks. He is known widely as the "water-rat," and 

 often bears the blame of actions done by the brown rat, 

 which is a good swimmer, but cannot emulate the soft noise- 

 less motion of the vole. The vole's head is broader than 

 the head of the rat, and his tail is shorter. 



2. The field-vole (Arvicola agrestis) is also abundant; he 

 likes to burrow in the banks of mossy meadows, and is 

 often found in orchards and gardens, as well as in cornfields. 

 He is light-brown in colour, and the under parts are pale 



greyish. The fecundity of this species is astonishing, and 



328 



