BRITISH MAMMALS 



witnessed one attacking a young rabbit, about six times the bulk of its 

 aggressor, which had been badly injured by a mowing machine. 



A large and brightly coloured form of the Bank Vole, known as the 

 Skomer Vole [Evotomys hercynicus Skomerensis, Millais), confined to 

 Skomer Island, off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and considered by 

 Mr. Millais as only a sub-species, is figured in the tail-piece sketch. 



This is considerably larger than the Common Bank Vole, measuring 

 about 4- inches in length of head and body and about 2^^ inches in the tail. 



The colour of the upper parts is a fine orange brown, becoming duller 

 and paler on the cheeks and flanks and greyish white tinged with buff on 

 the underparts. The Skomer Vole was first discovered by Mr. Drane of 

 Cardiff when he visited the island of that name in 1897. 



At this time, according to Mr. Millais [Mammals of Great Britain and 

 Ireland)^ Mr. Drane " caught several specimens and partially described 

 them in a paper which he read before the Cardiff Naturalists' Society, and 

 which was published in their ' Transactions.' " 



Later, in 1906, the Skomer Vole was fully described by the late Major 

 Barrett-Hamilton, who gives it fiill specific rank. 



Mr. Drane observed that the Skomer and Bank Vole are much alike in 

 their general character and habits, and though both frequent the neighbour- 

 hood of farmsteads, the former shows a decided preference for such 

 localities, where it may be found in numbers in and around the buildings. 

 Winter stores of turnips are a favourite resort of the Skomer and Bank Vole. 



Mr. Drane found that the Skomer Vole bred freely in captivity, five 

 specimens, which soon grew tame, having produced forty-seven young in 

 one season. 



A comparatively large race of Bank Vole, possessing rather short ears 

 and tail {Evotomys alstoni^ Barrett-Hamilton and Hinton), inhabits the Island 

 of Mull, Scotland. Specimens were first taken there by Mr. R. W. 



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