﻿NEW 
  BRITISH 
  VOLE 
  FROM 
  ORKNEY 
  ISLANDS. 
  243 
  

  

  known 
  as 
  "The 
  Cuttick" 
  or 
  "Puttick," 
  and 
  large 
  numbers 
  are 
  

   sometimes 
  killed 
  in 
  August 
  during 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  the 
  hay. 
  

  

  In 
  September, 
  1903, 
  Mr. 
  Cursiter 
  sent 
  me 
  five 
  of 
  these 
  Voles 
  

   alive, 
  and 
  I 
  kept 
  them 
  until 
  the 
  15th 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  December, 
  

   when 
  a 
  spaniel, 
  who 
  was 
  accustomed 
  to 
  collect 
  small 
  mammals 
  

   and 
  bring 
  them 
  to 
  me, 
  finding 
  business 
  dull, 
  upset 
  the 
  cage 
  and 
  

   released 
  or 
  swallowed 
  four 
  of 
  them. 
  At 
  any 
  rate, 
  I 
  found 
  only 
  

   one 
  (a 
  male) 
  remaining 
  when 
  my 
  faithful 
  hound 
  had 
  finished 
  his 
  

   work. 
  This 
  specimen 
  I 
  kept 
  until 
  Feb. 
  10th, 
  when 
  I 
  killed 
  it 
  for 
  

   the 
  sake 
  of 
  its 
  pelage. 
  Amongst 
  these 
  five 
  was 
  one 
  big 
  male, 
  

   which 
  measured 
  5^ 
  in. 
  from 
  nose 
  to 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  tail 
  ; 
  tail, 
  

   l^in. 
  ; 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  handsomest 
  specimen 
  I 
  have 
  seen. 
  This 
  

   loss 
  was 
  particularly 
  distressful, 
  not 
  only 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  his 
  

   remarkable 
  size, 
  but 
  because 
  he 
  was 
  so 
  amiable 
  a 
  little 
  beast. 
  

   He 
  never 
  attempted 
  to 
  bite, 
  and 
  would 
  sit 
  up 
  in 
  my 
  hand 
  and 
  eat 
  

   a 
  piece 
  of 
  carrot 
  without 
  fear, 
  whilst 
  strangers 
  observed 
  him. 
  In 
  

   confinement 
  all 
  these 
  Voles 
  were 
  at 
  first 
  very 
  shy 
  and 
  retiring, 
  

   generally 
  biting 
  if 
  roughly 
  handled, 
  but 
  the 
  males 
  soon 
  became 
  

   tame, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  then 
  handle 
  all 
  three 
  without 
  fear 
  of 
  being 
  

   bitten. 
  The 
  females 
  were 
  always 
  much 
  shyer 
  and 
  more 
  pug- 
  

   nacious. 
  Their 
  high 
  squeak 
  could 
  constantly 
  be 
  heard 
  when 
  

   others 
  jostled 
  them, 
  or 
  fresh 
  food 
  was 
  put 
  in 
  the 
  cage. 
  The 
  

   Voles 
  devoured 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  grass 
  when 
  fresh 
  and 
  green. 
  

   They 
  also 
  seemed 
  to 
  like 
  brown 
  bread, 
  and 
  an 
  occasional 
  nibble 
  

   at 
  a 
  turnip 
  ; 
  but 
  next 
  to 
  grass 
  their 
  favourite 
  food 
  was 
  carrots. 
  

   The 
  unconsumed 
  blades 
  of 
  grass, 
  though 
  rejected 
  as 
  food 
  as 
  soon 
  

   as 
  they 
  commenced 
  to 
  dry, 
  were 
  taken 
  to 
  one 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  cage, 
  

   and 
  carefully 
  interwoven 
  into 
  a 
  large 
  comfortable 
  nest. 
  In 
  the 
  

   centre 
  of 
  this 
  the 
  Voles 
  would 
  cuddle 
  and 
  sleep 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  day, 
  their 
  usual 
  attitude 
  being 
  three 
  tucked 
  closely 
  

   together, 
  whilst 
  a 
  fourth 
  lay 
  across 
  the 
  top, 
  forming 
  a 
  warm 
  

   fur 
  coverlet. 
  

  

  On 
  Dec. 
  2nd 
  the 
  temperature 
  sank 
  to 
  35°, 
  and 
  I 
  noticed 
  that 
  

   the 
  Voles 
  did 
  not 
  touch 
  the 
  food 
  placed 
  for 
  them. 
  This 
  cold 
  

   snap 
  lasted 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  during 
  which 
  they 
  neither 
  fed 
  nor 
  

   moved 
  ; 
  but 
  on 
  a 
  rise 
  of 
  temperature 
  they 
  again 
  appeared, 
  and 
  

   ravenously 
  ate 
  the 
  food 
  placed 
  for 
  them. 
  These 
  intervals 
  of 
  

   hybernation 
  continued, 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  single 
  male 
  which 
  I 
  

   kept, 
  until 
  Feb. 
  10th, 
  1904. 
  

  

  U 
  2 
  

  

  