NOTES AND QUERIES. 145 



habits of the latter is that their chief enemies are diurnal birds 

 of prey, and that during the winter months there is comparatively 

 little covert to screen them from observation. They have probably 

 gained wisdom from experience. 



In conclusion, and in reply to a question which has been fre- 

 quently asked, I may add a few words as to the origin of th 

 name Vole. This name does not appear to be of any antiquity. 

 Low, in his ' Fauna Orcadensis,' published at Edinburgh in 1813, 

 gives it as in use in Orkney. From this source probably it was 

 adopted by Fleming, in his ' History of British Animals,' 1828, 

 and, following him, by Macgillivray, in his 'British Quadrupeds,' 

 forming vol. vii. of Jardine's " Naturalists' Library." At p. 260 

 of that volume, under the head of Water Vole, Macgillivray 

 writes : — " The generic name Vole, applied to the Arvicolce by 

 Dr. Fleming, seems to be preferable to Campagnol, because, 

 although it has no meaning, it gives no erroneous idea of these 

 animals, whereas the latter, besides being descriptively inaccurate, 

 is merely a French word awkwardly introduced, with a pronunci- 

 ation quite un-English." 



As to the meaning of the word, whether it was originally 

 derived from the French or not, I cannot say. The French verb 

 voler, has two significations, according to the context in which 

 it is employed, namely, "to steal " and "to fly," or, as we may 

 say, to dart rapidly ; either or both of which terms would be 

 applicable to every species of the genus Arvicola. If, however, 

 the use of the word has come to us through the Orcadians, its 

 origin is probably to be sought for in Scandinavia. 



NOTES AND QUERIES, 



The Ornithology of Tennyson.— Under this heading the Rev. J. G. 

 Tuck has an article in the February number of 'The Naturalist,' in which 

 numerous extracts are given from the laureate's poems, presumably intended 

 to show his apt allusions to the feathered race. Picturesque enough are 

 these allusions, no doubt, and poetical, but too often, alas ! inaccurate. 

 The expressions in many cases which are intended to be descriptive of notes 

 and flights are neither the best which could be employed, nor are thev 

 sometimes sufficiently correct to satisfy the critical ornithologist. In my 

 opinion they tend to prove that the laureate had neither a good eve for 



