﻿

  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST 
  

  

  X<>. 
  r 
  57. 
  —J 
  iihj, 
  1904. 
  

  

  ON 
  A 
  NEW 
  BRITISH 
  VOLE 
  . 
  FEOM 
  THE 
  ORKNEY 
  

  

  ISLANDS. 
  

  

  By 
  J. 
  G. 
  Millais. 
  

  

  Returning 
  one 
  evening 
  from 
  fishing 
  in 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Stennis, 
  

   Pomona, 
  Orkneys, 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  August, 
  1886, 
  I 
  noticed 
  what 
  

   looked 
  like 
  a 
  Water-Vole 
  running 
  swiftly 
  along 
  the 
  sheep-track 
  

   in 
  front 
  of 
  me. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  animal 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  quite 
  

   black 
  at 
  once 
  made 
  me 
  pause, 
  for 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  lake 
  was 
  

   considerable, 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  never 
  observed 
  the 
  black 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  

   Water-Vole 
  in 
  the 
  Orkneys. 
  The 
  little 
  beast 
  presently 
  darted 
  

   into 
  what 
  I 
  found 
  on 
  examination, 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  runs 
  

   and 
  tunnels 
  intersecting 
  the 
  heather, 
  grass, 
  and 
  small 
  rocks, 
  

   such 
  as 
  we 
  are 
  accustomed 
  to 
  find 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  colonies 
  of 
  

   the 
  Common 
  Field-Vole. 
  I 
  saw 
  at 
  once 
  that 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  black 
  

   variety 
  of 
  some 
  Vole, 
  and 
  its 
  size, 
  which 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  twice 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  species, 
  led 
  me 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  Orcadian 
  

   Field-Voles 
  might 
  be 
  melanic, 
  and 
  might 
  also 
  be 
  a 
  distinct 
  

   species 
  of 
  the 
  genus. 
  

  

  After 
  sitting 
  and 
  waiting 
  for 
  an 
  hour, 
  I 
  saw 
  another 
  of 
  these 
  

   Voles 
  — 
  a 
  still 
  larger 
  specimen 
  — 
  also 
  black 
  ; 
  but, 
  having 
  no 
  traps 
  

   with 
  me, 
  and 
  an 
  engagement 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  I 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  

   capture 
  a 
  specimen 
  that 
  year. 
  In 
  the 
  following 
  August, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  a 
  friend 
  sent 
  me 
  two 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  flesh, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  

   was 
  russet-brown, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  brownish 
  black 
  all 
  over. 
  I 
  then 
  

   saw 
  that 
  this 
  Vole 
  differed 
  in 
  many 
  respects 
  from 
  M. 
  agrestis. 
  

   Now, 
  too, 
  I 
  know 
  that 
  it 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  smaller 
  British 
  species 
  

   Zool. 
  4th 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  VIII., 
  July, 
  1904. 
  u 
  

  

  