﻿APPENDIX. 
  

  

  299 
  

  

  desolate 
  holes 
  of 
  the 
  woodpeckers, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  gratified 
  by 
  being 
  assured 
  

   some 
  time 
  after 
  that 
  this 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  fact 
  ' 
  (William 
  Laidlaw, 
  

   Eoss-shire, 
  circa 
  1835). 
  

  

  Arvicola 
  agrestis 
  (L.). 
  Field 
  Vole. 
  

  

  4 
  About 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  summer 
  1832 
  the 
  shepherds 
  over 
  an 
  exten- 
  

   sive 
  tract 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  mountainous 
  district 
  in 
  Inverness- 
  and 
  Ross-shires 
  

   began 
  to 
  observe 
  that 
  their 
  dogs 
  were 
  killing 
  a 
  more 
  than 
  ordinary 
  

   number 
  of 
  Field-mice 
  — 
  what 
  they 
  thought 
  the 
  common 
  sort 
  (?). 
  

  

  ' 
  They 
  observed 
  that 
  these 
  mice 
  increased 
  as 
  the 
  summer 
  advanced, 
  and 
  

   that 
  the 
  grass 
  on 
  the 
  drier 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  mountains, 
  which 
  they 
  chiefly 
  

   inhabited, 
  was 
  greatly 
  destroyed 
  by 
  them, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  seemed 
  to 
  prefer 
  

   the 
  blanched 
  part 
  between 
  the 
  root 
  and 
  the 
  leaves 
  (like 
  as 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tipula 
  graminea 
  sometimes 
  does), 
  the 
  withered 
  grass 
  and 
  moss 
  could 
  be 
  

   rolled 
  off 
  like 
  thin 
  turf. 
  Their 
  numbers 
  were 
  prodigious. 
  The 
  dogs 
  fed 
  

   upon 
  them, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  evident 
  the 
  foxes 
  and 
  all 
  carnivorous 
  birds 
  fed 
  

   upon 
  them. 
  The 
  foxes 
  gave 
  over 
  killing 
  lambs 
  for 
  a 
  whole 
  year, 
  and 
  

   where 
  a 
  litter 
  of 
  cubs 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  spring 
  (1833) 
  it 
  was 
  

   evident 
  they 
  were 
  supplied 
  with 
  these 
  mice. 
  

  

  ' 
  But 
  the 
  most 
  extraordinary 
  fact 
  relating 
  to 
  this 
  singular 
  and 
  unac- 
  

   countable 
  increase 
  of 
  mice 
  was, 
  that 
  they 
  seemed 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  district 
  

   about 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  June 
  following 
  ; 
  for 
  few 
  were 
  seen, 
  and 
  the 
  foxes 
  

   began 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  lambs 
  again 
  with 
  greater 
  fury 
  than 
  ever. 
  During 
  

   the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  harvest 
  not 
  one 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  ' 
  (Contin, 
  

   Ross-shire, 
  Nov. 
  1833). 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  foregoing 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  Vole 
  Plague, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  

   called, 
  was 
  not 
  unknown 
  in 
  former 
  years, 
  and 
  corresponds 
  in 
  most 
  

   respects 
  with 
  the 
  one 
  that 
  gave 
  rise 
  to 
  so 
  much 
  discussion 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  

   of 
  Scotland 
  in 
  1891-92. 
  

  

  ' 
  Hundreds 
  of 
  hen 
  Chaffinches 
  on 
  the 
  swathes 
  of 
  the 
  new-mown 
  hay 
  ; 
  

   could 
  not 
  observe 
  a 
  cock 
  amongst 
  them 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  were 
  a 
  few 
  Gold- 
  

   finches 
  ' 
  (Ross-shire, 
  July 
  20th, 
  1834). 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Laidlaw 
  saw 
  two 
  Swallow-tailed 
  Gleds 
  on 
  February 
  16th, 
  1837 
  

   (at 
  Contin), 
  in 
  East 
  Ross-shire. 
  

  

  