NEW KIND OF VOLE. 
369 
this bird taken at that period in my neighbourhood, 
as also one with two eggs taken the first week of 
February, 1835. On the 31st January, 1834, the 
weather being very mild, Sparrows had young in a 
spot near Plymouth. The Wren, Rook, and a great 
variety of other birds, are well known to build a few 
days sooner than usual, on account of an early 
spring. On the other hand it is equally well known 
that inclement weather at the accustomed period of 
nestling of the respective kinds of birds, will cause 
them to defer their operations, and occasionally even 
when there could be no reason to imagine any 
deficiency of provender as the cause of this delay. 
Witness the late springs of 1837 and 1838, though 
no doubt scarcity was felt on these two occasions. 
It is further well worthy of note, that as song is 
capable of being induced in many species at late 
and early periods of the year from the influence of 
weather, so it has happened that birds have from 
probably the same cause, bred at a very late season. 
In 1837, a pair of Sparrows in my garden had eggs 
in the middle of September. 
New species of Vole. —x4. suspicion has long ex¬ 
isted in the minds of naturalists that other species 
of mice than those now described in books, would 
in process of time be discovered not only in those 
parts of the world generally inhabited by species of 
this race, but even in this country, better explored 
perhaps than any other. Discoveries of this kind 
however prove in a remarkable and decisive manner 
how deficient even English naturalists are in a 
knowledge of the productions of their island, and 
how requisite are local scientific institutions to 
concentrate the knowledge to be gained in each 
particular district. 
The specimen of Vole, of which a representation 
is given, appears to be a male; it measures altogether 
4 inches, or 3 inches from the nose to the root of 
