mAMMalS Of tfetoSYLVdWA Afe NE^ jBliStit. 103 



JSkma bf-eidcdnda, foufld Iti the sattie burtows : "tTftdbtibttdly the greatet 

 part, if tldt all, of the det)redaii6iis described tHtiSt b« laid At the dodf of ill 

 atiitnai vefy disSiitlilar to the ShteW, Mnteljr thfe Pifie Vble {MUfotUs pim- 

 iotitM). I siy disSiiliilaf, afid yet the short tail, seJUdt foffti, fdsserial fote 

 (tti dfid Vefy sttiall eyes of the p\h& vole, tbgethef with its Sittiilir Size, Might 

 easily deceive a cdslial obseiVet and mike Otie coMdUfld it with the shfew. 

 The piiie vole, hbwevet', is a fodent add one of the Strictest Vegetafiatts Of its 

 order. It can be instantly distinguished from any of th^ JHievHtwra, afld 

 froifl the shteW in t)a!fticular, by its totihded heftd, Short, bluiit shOUt and the 

 space ih the jaws separatiMg the long cutved fore teeth ffoiii the flat prista^ 

 efowhed cheek-teeth or hiolats. ih the shtew this vacaticy is filled by a 



fetocioUs attaatufe of fattgS, afid the pig-like Shdut is Idttg aftd pointed ,' the 

 eyes also are heatly iiivisibie, while the pine Vole has W611 develtlped, bead- 

 like ey^Si the Shrew is of a tlHifbriM, dark, glossy lead color, slightly btOWti- 

 ish and silvery iii certaiii lights, while the Vole is rusty or broWfi^l-ed above 

 ahd grayish lead color below. The pine vole belOilgs to the same genus as 

 the common meadow tiioiise which hauttts our fields and swamps, making th6 

 intricate ttdtWotk Of surface tuiis Which Shows sO plailily aloMg the feiice rows 

 When snowdtifts melt aWay. tJtilike the meadow Vole, the subject of our 

 sketch tarely comes to the Siitface of the gWUhd, bbt is almost as SUbtef- 

 ranean as the mole in its habits. Beitlg less poWetfiil that! the mole, it coft^ 

 fines its tutinels to looser soils, preferihg saildy, fallow ground for its foJraging 

 and is especially fond of cultivated fields along the edge of woodland. Should 

 Siich a field be planted With some tubet-bearing cfop th# vole is lii its ele* 

 merit, arid the hiimbet of bUrrOws which honeycomb the grourid is almost 

 ifictedible. Itt some SWeei potato fields Scarce a squate ftJot of the Whole 

 field adjoining the woods was left unvisited. The amount Of damage Which 

 such an atmy of foderitS can perform may be imagined. I have ktiowft them 

 to follow alOhg the drills of ttewly coveted seed corri, peas arid wax beabs so 

 industriously as to require the entite replantirig Of parts of the field. Their 

 diet howevef may include the toots and bulbs of some tioxioUs plaflts. They 

 eat wild garilc foots, often smellirig Offetislv^ly of it. Whethef insects aire 

 eatea is ah Iritefesting question. It does not hesitate to use the butroWs of 

 the mole ; ih fact, moles, shrews, deet mice arid pihe volfes makS free use of 

 each other's highways in a most democratic fashioto. Mayhap first goes 

 along Scalops, the four-footed plowman, industriously heaving the sod and 

 devouring earthworms and larger insects that fall into his furrow ; then the 

 mole shrew {Blarina) trips through the passage gathering fragments and 

 nosing about for larger game. A pine vole, making a cross-cut, falls into 

 the breach and goes off on an easy exploring expedition for tap-roots, and in 

 due time the deer mOUse {Bst-oWtyscus) tiptoes along gathlfihg Cfumbs. In 

 these excursiohs the various teriants of the manot ofteh collide, the great 



