102 
Quadrupeds 
i ^v 
THE WATER RAT, (Arvicola amphibia,) 
Inhabits the banks of rivers and ponds, where he digs 
holes, always above the water-mark, and feeds on roots 
and aquatic plants. 
This animal is nearly as large as the brown Rat, but 
has a larger head, a blunter nose, and smaller eyes ; its 
ears are very short, and almost hidden in the fur, and 
the tip of its tail is whitish ; the cutting-teeth are of a 
deep yellow colour in front, very strong, and much 
resembling those of the beaver. Its head and back are 
covered with long black hair, and its belly with iron 
gray. Tail more than half the length of the body, 
covered with hairs. Fur thick and shining ; of a rich 
reddish brown, mixed with gray above, yellowish gray 
beneath. The female produces a brood of five or six 
young ones once (and sometimes twice) a year. 
