160 The Zoologist — April, 1866. 



have been taken, all of which were caught in common mouse-traps in 

 the garden, where the species appears to be even more plentiful than 

 the field vole. These rejiealed captures of an animal hitherto un- 

 recorded in Scotland made me begin to doubt whether I had not 

 made some mistake as to the species; accordingly I forwarded a 

 specimen to Professor Bell, who has been kind enough to examine it 

 carefully, and he informs me that it is undoubtedly the bank vole; 

 "the colour, the proportions and the loose hairiness of the tail, all 

 agree with A. pralensis, and differ from the common species." Mr. 

 Wheelwright ("The Old Bushman"), states, in his 'Ten Years in 

 Sweden,' that this species is found in Scandinavia as far north as 

 the Arctic Circle, so it seems not unlikely thai it may be more 

 common in Scotland than in England. Besides the distinctive marks 

 already mentioned (Zool. S. S. 10) the fur of A. pratensis is much 

 smoother and glossier than that of the field vole, and in all the 

 specimens taken here there is a little fine white fur behind each ear, 

 only visible when these organs are erected. The shade of chestnut 

 on the head and back varies much ; in some it is hardly brighter than 

 in a small and unusually red example of A. agrestis sent me from 

 Sussex by your correspondent, Mr. Jeflery; in one individual it 

 deepens almost to black towards the root of the tail. In another 

 specimen the white of the lower parts is slightly tinged with yellow. 

 The tail is always uniform in thickness throughout its length, and 

 ends in a tult of hair; it becomes more slender in dried speci- 

 mens. In size there is not much variety, but the males are slightly 

 larger than their mates. The following are the average measurements 

 of those taken here : — 



Male. Female. 



. 3.50 inches. 3.40 inches. 



. 1.10 „ l.OS „ 



. 0.40 „ 0.40 „ 



. 1.54 „ 1.50 „ 



. 0.62 „ 0.58 „ 



It is perhaps worthy of notice that this species has been found 

 abundantly in gardens, both here and in Derbyshire (Zool. 9016). 



Edward R. Alston. 



Slockbiiggs, Lesinahagow, February, 1866. 



