N 
almost unknown in Norway, and only appeared in England 160 years ago, 
being probably introduced by vessels coming from India and Persia. It 
had penetrated to the Hebrides, and was not confined to towns, establishing 
colonies by riversides, farm-yards, &c, to the feathered inhabitants of 
which it was very destructive. In Paris, 16,000 were killed in one * abat- 
toir ' in a single month. Its total length was 19 inches, that of the brown 
rat, 15! inches. 
Arvicolid^e. Arvicola amphibius, the water-vole, often but erroneously 
called the water-rat, being perfectly distinct from rats, both in dentition 
and general appearance. Head short, thick, and blunt ; eyes small ; ears 
very small and inconspicuous ; incisors yellow in front, strong, chisel- 
shaped ; toes of hind feet not truly webbed ; fur thick and glossy, umber 
above, yellowish grey beneath. All the best naturalists agreed that it was 
strictly a vegetable feeder, most of the depredations assigned to this 
animal being due to the brown rat. 
Arvicola pratensis (or rufescens), the bank- vole, smaller than the common 
vole, and differing in internal anatomy. Eyes prominent ; ears longer ; 
body bright rust-colour on the back, ash-grey at the sides. 
Arvicola agrestis, the meadow-mouse or field-vole, the most destructive 
of all British Hodents. In 1813 and 1814 they did immense damage in 
the Forest of Dean, and over 100,000 were killed. Head large ; muzzle 
obtuse ; ears very short ; body thick, full ; colour of upper parts reddish 
brown, of the lower, ash grey : total length 5| inches. 
Mr. Ponton thus concluded his paper — 
" Such is a short account of some of the less known British 
Mammalia. With the rapid advance of agriculture and civilization 
they are yearly becoming more and more scarce. It is advisable 
therefore that any information respecting them, and any specimens of 
them, should be carefully collected and treasured up ; for the time may 
come when the wild cat, the otter, the marten, and many others, will 
be unknown in Britian, except by as scanty remains as the Moa of 
New Zealand, the Dodo of Mauritius, and the Solitaire of Rodriguez." 
The President said that some years ago he saw a wild-cat which had 
been killed in the country, South of Wells ; also that a few years ago the 
black rat was very common in a warehouse in Lewin's Mead. He was 
very much obliged to Mr. Ponton for his concluding remarks, and observed 
that new specimens of many of the animals described in his paper were 
much wanted for the Museum. 
Mr. Stqbbart mentioned an otter having been shot at Bath in 1850 
and another at Keynsham in 1866. 
Mr. S. H. S wayne said that badgers were not uncommon in Hereford- 
shire ; he had watched them from a yew-tree coming out of their holes 
about 9.0 p.m., and was disposed to doubt their vegetable feeding. 
Mr. Thomas Pease had seen several badgers on a hill at Tenby, and 
had also frequently noticed mice lying dead on the footpaths. 
