THE CAMPAGNOL. 139 
animal was feeding, I determined to watch the little creatures with more care. 
My own testimony coincides precisely with those of other observers, for I 
never yet saw the true snub-nosed, short-eared, yellow-toothed Vole engaged 
in eating animal food, although the brown rat may be often detected in such 
an act. 
Many communications have been made to me on the subject, written for 
the most part by persons who have seen water-side rats engaged in catching 
and eating fish, and have thought that the delinquents were the true Water 
Vole. Indeed, the Vole is allied very closely to the beaver, and partakes of 
the vegetarian character of that animal. 
The colour of the Water Vole is a chestnut brown, dashed with grey on 
the upper parts and fading to grey below. The ears are so short that they 
are hardly perceptible above the fur. The incisor teeth are of a light yellow, 
and are very thick and strong. The tail is shorter than that of the common 
rat, hardly exceeding half the length of the head and body. The average 
length of a full-grown Water Vole is thirteen inches, the tail being about four 
inches and three-quarters long. 
CAMPAGNOL,—(<l vicola arvdits.) 
THE CAMPAGNOL, or SHORT-TAILED FIELD MOUSE, is even more destruc- 
tive in the open meadows than the common grey mouse in the barns or ricks ; 
for, not contenting itself with plundering the ripened crops of autumn, it 
burrows beneath the ground at sowing time, and devours the seed-wheat 
which has just been laid in the earth. Besides these open-air depredations, 
it makes inroads into ricks and barns, and by dint of multitudinous numbers 
does very great harm. 
The colour of the Campagnol is ruddy brown on the upper surface of the 
body, and grey on the abdomen and chest. The ears are rounded and very 
small, closely resembling those of the water vole. The tail is only one-third 
the length of the body, and the total length of the animal is rather more than 
five inches. As it belongs to.the same genus as the water vole, and is very 
closely related to that animal, it sometimes goes by the name of Field Vole. 
Av uncertain and distant intervals of time, many of the northern parts of 
