THE COMMON GRASS MOUSE 443 



Terminology: — Grass Mice are known under the following names 

 in works on British mammals : — " Short-tailed Field Mouse " (Pennant, 

 Brit. Zool., ed. 2, 104, 1768 ; Berkenhout, 1769 ; Bingley, 1809, alternative 

 to "Meadow Mouse"; Bell 1837, alternative to "Meadow Mouse" and 

 second to " Field Vole"). " Meadow Rat'' (Pennant, Quad., 33, n. 322). 

 "Meadow Mouse" (Pennant, Quad., ii., 205; Kerr, Animal Kingdom, 

 1792, 238; Turton, 1807; Bingley, 1809, alternative to "Short-tailed 

 Field Mouse " ; Bell, 1837, alternative to " Short-tailed Field Mouse " and 

 second to "Field Vole"). "Brown Short-tailed Field Rat" (Donovan, 

 1819). " Field Vole " (Fleming, 1828 ; Bell, 1837 ; Aflalo, 1898). " Field 

 Campagnol " (Jenyns, 1835), from the French. " Brown " or " Field Vole " 

 (MacGillivray, 1838). "Common Field Vole" or "Field Vole" (Bell, 

 1874; Lydekker, 1895; Millais, 1905). "Short-tailed Field Vole" 

 (Johnston, 1905). " Common Meadow Mouse" (English). 



It appears that the oldest name used by British naturalists for this 

 animal was some form of " Short-tailed Field Mouse " or " Short-tailed 

 Field Rat," alternating, however, freely with " Meadow Mouse," a name 

 which is established in North America. The word "vole" = a "field," 

 a mutilated form of " vole-mouse," appears to have been borrowed to 

 form an English generic name by Fleming (1828) from Barry (1805), 

 who reported it as in use in the Orkneys (see also below, p. 457). 

 Apparently the need of some such name was felt at that period, for in 

 1833 Jenyns took the term " Field Campagnol," from the French. This 

 is mentioned by MacGillivray, who declared his preference for " vole." 

 The adoption of the latter term by Bell and MacGillivray led to its 

 appearance in one form or another in almost every subsequent work, and 

 it has now found what seems to be a permanent place in the technical 

 zoological literature of the English-speaking peoples of both hemispheres. 

 But it is quite unknown to the public and may be conveniently discarded 

 as a specific name. The name " Grass Mouse " is very extensively used 

 locally, and as stated above on p. 398, it is here proposed to restrict 

 the word " vole " to the group Microti. The subject is discussed also 

 by Elliot {Proc. Berwickshire Nat. Club, viii., 1876- 1878, published 1879, 

 447-468); by Harting {Zoologist, 1893, 145); Skeat and Maxwell {Notes and 

 Queries, i6th September and 21st October 1899); and by English ; other 

 references are given in dictionaries, but I have been unable to find them. 



Local names (non-Celtic) : — Usually grass or meadow mouse, but 

 occasionally harvest mouse, as in Shropshire (Forrest) ; bob-tail or 

 bull-dog mouse of Surrey (Adams) ; pig mouse (Lydekker) ; waggoner 

 (Cocks) ; water mouse (E. R. Alston). 



^thh-.j—Lfygoden gwtta'r maes (Millais); llygoden gynffbj/r=shon- 

 tailed mouse (Forrest) ; but species are not usually distinguished in 

 Gaelic dialects, /a^^^zc or bathor being also applied to mice in Wales 

 (Caton Haigh in Forrest). 



