THE BANK VOLE 



sorting straw for thatching holds his straw. If 

 you have seen this done you will know exactly 

 how the mouse went to work. As soon as a 

 mouthful had been collected, the vole took the 

 bundle in its jaws and ran home with it ; but if 

 it found any difficulty in getting the stuff down 

 the entrance hole, it at once turned round and 

 dragged its load in backwards, when it generally 

 went quite easily. 



All food not wanted for eating at once was 

 also taken into the nest or biu-ied. It was 

 really sad to see the trouble a vole would take 

 to hide away any particularly nice piece of 

 food, only to have it stolen a few moments later. 

 One day the smallest of the three found a bit 

 of walnut that had not been noticed by the 

 other two. Appearing highly delighted with 

 her find, she picked it up but did not seem to 

 know quite what to do with it. She looked 

 towards the nest, listening and hesitating, but 

 the others were sleeping peacefully inside. 

 This being so, the usual store corner by the 

 sleeping-place was no use, so, after sitting up 

 and thinking, she carried the piece of nut to the 

 far end of the cage — ^farthest, that is, from her 

 friends — dropped it, and began to scratch in the 

 loose soil. I think she wanted to dig a hole, 



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