Rock Vole in Virginia 
3 
rock vole in Virginia: (1) the healthy status of M. chrotorrhinus in 
nearby West Virginia and (2) the presence in Virginia of apparently 
suitable habitat at some high elevation sites, despite the discontinuity of 
those sites. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . — Collection of the rock vole was made 
ancillary to a study on the distribution of the northern flying squirrel 
sponsored by the Nongame Wildlife and Endangered Species Program 
of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. I am grateful 
to R. W. Duncan, M. Fies, and K. Terwilliger for their support in that 
effort. I thank R. Glasgow of George Washington National Forest for 
his support and encouragement. Station manager B. Bocchicchio, who 
provided access to the site, and Sara S. Bell, C.M. Kershner, and people 
at the security station of the Virginia Power Bath County Pumped 
Storage Station are gratefully acknowledged for many acts of kindness. 
I am especially grateful to Ms. Bell for much assistance both before and 
after the collection was made. I thank Dr. C. O. Handley, Jr., for 
verifying the identification of the vole and Dr. M. F. Johnson for 
identification of plant species. Dr. G. L. Kirkland, Jr., graciously 
provided many helpful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. 
LITERATURE CITED 
Handley, C. O., Jr. 1980. Rock Vole. Microtus chrotorrhinus carolinensis 
Komarek. Pages 574-577 in Threatened and Endangered Plants and Animals 
of Virginia, D. W. Linzey, editor. Ctr. Environ. Stud., Va. Polytech. Inst, 
and State Univ. 
Kirkland, G. L., Jr. 1977a. The rock vole, Microtus chrotorrhinus (Miller) 
(Mammalia: Rodentia) in West Virginia. Ann. Carnegie Mus. Nat. Hist. 
46:45-53. 
Kirkland, G. L., Jr. 1977b. Responses of small mammals to the clearcutting of 
northern Appalachian forests. J. Mammal. 58:600-609. 
Kirkland, G. L., Jr., and F. J. Jannett, Jr. 1982. Microtus chrotorrhinus. 
Mammalian Species. 180:1-5. 
Kirkland, G. L., Jr., and C. M. Knipe, 1979. The rock vole {Microtus 
chrotorrhinus ) as a Transition Zone species. Can. Field-Nat. 93:319-321. 
Pagels, J. F. 1987. The pygmy shrew, rock shrew and water shrew: Virginia’s 
rarest shrews (Mammalia: Soricidae). Va. J. Sci. 38:364-368. 
Pagels, J. F., and C. M. Tate. 1976. Shrews (Insectivora: Soricidae) of the 
Paddy Knob-Little Back Creek area of western Virginia. Va. J. Sci. 27:202- 
203. 
Accepted 11 October 1988 
