254 BRITISH MAMMALS 



in a nest made at the end of a long burrow. The entrance to 

 this burrow, or one of the entrances, may be in the bank of a 

 stream, under the surface of the water. The burrow will be 

 carried in an upward direction, so that the nest may be above 

 flood level. The nest is lined with dry grass or dead leaves. In 

 this resort the water vole will store up food for the winter. It 

 is said that the female water vole, when afraid that her nest has 

 been disturbed, will take up her young in her mouth and carry 

 them away to a place of safety. Burrows and nests are also 

 made by this animal in fields at no great distance from the water, 

 or in sand hills. 



Naturally, from its habits, it is never found far away from 

 water, and it has become very aquatic, swimming and diving 

 with ease, and able to remain for several minutes beneath the 

 surface. Mr. Trevor-Battye states that when swimming (unless 

 exceptionally agitated or hurried) it presses the small fore paws 

 against the sides of the body as a seal might do, and uses its long 

 hind feet exclusively for propelling itself through the water, the 

 long tail acting as a rudder. Even unobservant persons should 

 experience no difficulty in distinguishing the water vole from the 

 odious brown rat which has taken to a water life (and whose 

 misdeeds are sometimes attributed to the innocent water vole) by 

 its large, blunt head, short neck, and stout body, which are 

 markedly different from the long, sharp snout and slimmer pro- 

 portions of the brown or black rats. In many canals and streams 

 in the more inhabited districts, however, there are so many real 

 " water " rats that the water vole has been driven away. As 

 this brown rat that has taken to the waterside is very carnivorous 

 and devours young ducklings, moor-hens, and fish, it has been 

 thought by less careful writers in times past that the water vole 

 was equally omnivorous. As a matter of fact, it appears to be 

 a purely vegetable feeder, and eats the pith of flags, rushes, 

 and other water plants, the buds and seeds and leaves of water- 

 lilies, duckweed (of which it is extremely fond), the bark of 

 willows, roots of many kinds, and, of course, such additional 

 vegetable food as may be aflforded by cultivated plants in the 



