Fauna Italica. 87 



restored it to cultivation, like Leghorn and some other parts of the 

 same territory. Its habits are half amphibious, and in this description 

 of country it is dreadfully destructive to the embankments, by bur- 

 rowing and destroying the newly made works. Like the water-rat, 

 which it very nearly resembles in many particulars, its excavations 

 are made principally with the mouth, the claws being little used, 

 the burrows are long and parallel to each other, with side galleries. 

 The food is exclusively vegetable, and its ravages are so great in 

 gardens and vineyards by gnawing the young shoots, that the price 

 paid for its destruction at Rome, is one-half more than that of the 

 mole, and twelve times that of the short-tailed field-mouse, which is 

 only four times smaller. They are taken by a hollow tube, which is 

 placed at the entrance of the burrow, the passage being obstructed 

 by a bundle of grass, in eating through which an elastic rod is loos- 

 ened, and the animal taken by the neck. It appears to change the 

 habitat according to the rains, leaving the low country when it is in- 

 undated, and gradually advancing as the waters subside. It is a 

 favourite food of many animals, especially of the foxes, which watch 

 at night in the gardens, and on hearing them work in the burrows, 

 suddenly scratch in and take them out, thus destroying plants and 

 causing other serious damages — in addition to that committed by the 

 rat itself. 



The Arvicola arvalis, short-tailed field-mouse, is common in Italy, 

 and in some parts is taken in almost incredible numbers. 



The water-rat, Arvicola ampihibia, is also very common. It 

 differs from the A. terrestris, besides other respects, in being ex- 

 tremely carnivorous.* The head is shorter, and the muzzle more 

 pointed than in its congener, and there are differences in the denti- 

 tion, which are carefully pointed out and engraved. 



The common marten, Mustela martes, is not uncommon near Rome, 

 frequenting even the hot and burning region at the mouth of the 

 Tibur, where it is found in the lofty stone pines of the villas there. 

 The common otter, Lutra vulgaris, alsoinhabitsthe.Tibur and Anio, 

 being found occasionally even within the walls of Rome, where it is 

 most acceptable in Lent, the strange and convenient doctrine beino- 

 admitted that these animals, as well as some sorts of wild fowl, are 

 cold-blooded, and consequently admissible as food on the fast days ! 

 The mufflon, mufhone or musmon, Capramusmon, is engraved and 

 described in the ninth number. It is no longer found in the Ita- 

 lian peninsula, as it formerly no doubt was, and we are not satis- 

 fied that it exists in the European Continent, unless it be in some 

 part of Turkey. There are still a few in Corsica and Sardinia. It 

 * In Britain the A. amphibia is almost entirely herbivorous Ed. 



