BRITISH MAMMALS 

 We are indebted to Gilbert White of Selborne for the earliest written 

 account of this species in England, as described in a letter to Pennant in 

 November 1767, but Montagu claims to have known it in Wiltshire 

 before its discovery in Hampshire by the Selborne naturalist. 



Though the Harvest Mouse is now undoubtedly less plentiful than in 

 former days, perhaps, as has been suggested, on account of the closely 

 cut stubble left by the modern reaping machine, it seems still to be well 

 distributed over the greater part of England, especially in the southern 

 and eastern divisions. 



Though I have never succeeded in finding the nest, I consider the 

 species fairly common in the neighbourhood of Godalming, Surrey, 

 having in January 191 8 received seven specimens and later in the 

 same winter some others, which had been obtained when corn-stacks were 

 threshed. 



In the Midland counties it seems to be rarer, and from Yorkshire 

 northwards it becomes still less frequent, records from the Lake district, 

 Durham, and Northumberland being few and far between. 



Across the border in Scotland it has only occurred locally and at rare 

 intervals. MacGillivray recorded it from Aberdeenshire, Midlothian, and 

 Fifeshire, and in the last mentioned county found a nest in a tuft of grass 

 {aira coespitosa). Mr. W. Evans recorded a nest discovered by himself 

 near Aberlady, East Lothian. The Harvest Mouse has also been noted 

 in Berwickshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, and a few 

 other counties at different times. 



The question whether it inhabits Wales is uncertain and it is unknown 

 in Ireland. 



During the warmer part of the year this species lives amidst the tall 

 vegetation of hedgerows, in reed-beds, or in fields of growing corn, where 

 woven among the wheat or barley stalks, grass stems, or thistle heads, the 



