428 
DSECRIPTION OF A NEW 
The male is of a deeper black than the female, and ra- 
ther larger. The testes are oval, and of very large size. A 
fine specimen shot by me at Aberdeen in March 1817 was 
8 inches long from the nose to the tail ; the latter 4 inches 
long ; its circumference behind the fore-feet 5 inches. A 
specimen procured for me by my friend Mr Craigie from 
the Rev. Mr Cowie of Cairney, near Huntly, in April 1830, 
was 7i inches long, the tail 4 inches, the circumference 5. 
Thejemale has four abdominal teats. The length of an 
individual sent to the College Museum in December 1829, 
was from the nose to the tail 6| inches, the tail SJ. In this 
individual the length of the intestinal canal was 6 feet 
10 inches, exclusive of the coecum; while in a common water 
rat, of much larger dimensions, it was a foot shorter. 
This animal is found in the eastern part of the middle 
division of Scotland, by the margin of small streams, with 
grassy banks, in which it burrow^s. Of the holes which it 
makes, some open above, and others beneath the water. In 
the morning, from sunrise to about ten, they may be seen 
near the mouths of their holes, feeding upon the grass, or 
basking in the sun. If they become torpid in winter, their 
period of hibernation must be short, as I have seen them in 
December and early in March. In the stomach of an in- 
dividual killed in December, I found the root of a plant, 
apparently a rumex, and in others killed in spring, sum- 
mer and autumn, the green leaves of grasses and other 
plants. They swim well, take the water rcadilv, and dive 
with ease. When surprised at a distance fiCir; their holes 
they prefer swimming or diving, to attempting a land race, 
although on shore they are very active. Their toes, how- 
ever, are not connected by the smallest vestiges of a mem- 
brane. They are shy and vigilant, but frequently allow 
a person to approach within thirty yards ; and I have seve- 
ral times stolen so close as to kill them with a stone. They 
