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 being 
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, mulfione or musmon, Capramusmon, is engraved and 
described in the ninth number. It is no longer found in the Ita- 
lian pen i sula, as it formerly no doubt was, and we are not satis- 
fi d 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. 
