Page:VCH Leicestershire 1.djvu/203

MAMMALS specimen, killed in one of his hayfields at Wistow Grange, in August, 1890." 24. Harvest-Mouse. Mus minutus, Pallas. Rare. Harley appears to have been uncertain whether this species was found throughout the county, he having met with it in only one or two parishes in the southern division as, for instance, at Cosby and Whetstone. He stated, however, that it had also occurred in the eastern portion of the county namely, in the parish of Woolsthorpe, on the estate of the Duke of Rutland. Mr. Ingram, writing from Belvoir, does not mention it, but the late Mr. Widdowson wrote, on 6 February, 1885 : 'A few not many have come into my hands.' Writing again on the 1 2th, he said : ' The last harvest-mouse I had was from Burton Lazars. Dis- tributed thinly, I think near here.' Fortunately the record of the harvest-mouse does not rest at this, for Mr. R. Groves brought me a pretty little nest, built between three cornstalks, found in a field about a mile from Billesdon, towards Uppingham, on 1 2 September, 1888. Mr. Stephen Pilgrim, of the Borough House, Hinckley, gave me the following note : 'On 1 8 January, 1889, Mr. Ludlow gave me two dead harvest-mice obtained from a barn on Mr. Freeman's farm at Dadlington. They weighed half an ounce the pair, fawn colour, white under parts, narrow heads, feet pale or flesh colour." These mice were killed when some corn in a barn was being thrashed, and there were said to be several of them. 25. Water- Vole. Microtus amphibius, Linn. Bell Arvicola amphibius. Locally, Water Rat. Resident and generally distributed. I was witness to a curious trait in the character of this animal on II April, 1885. Walking in the meadows at Ayle- stone with my dogs, I observed some rat-catchers at work on an old hollow willow-tree, whence they dislodged, with the help of their ferrets and dogs, several common rats and three water-voles, two of which evaded them by swimming. The third one was, however, caged with three of the common brown rats. The latter appeared abjectly terrified at our approach, and at that of the dogs, and huddled together with their heads tucked under their bodies. It was otherwise, however, with the water-vole, which upon our approach reared itself upon its haunches, bared its teeth and snapped them, squeaked and shook its paws at us with the most threatening gestures, and would have flown at us outright had it not been for the protection of the bars. Its conduct regarding the other rats was antagonistic in the extreme, for it bit them in the most severe and impartial manner whenever they approached. Indeed, one rat nearly 'left his tail behind him,' under the quick strokes of the plucky water-vole's formidable incisors. One was brought to the Leicester Museum early in 1903, caught in a sewer in Tower Street, hard by, a most unusual position and locality. Harley observed that it is ' liable to variety.' Regarding the last statement, I was always of opinion that this species, with the exception of the black variety mentioned by Bell, was most constant in its coloration, having had the opportunity of examining some hundreds from all parts of England since 11 Zaol. Sept. 1890, p. 348. boyhood, but the late Mr. R. Widdowson assured me that he could, any season, procure near Melton a constant, light-red variety, and in proof of his asser- tion, he sent me in 1883 a mounted specimen which, though apparently sun-faded on the one side, appeared to be of a very light-red, almost yellowish- rufous, on the other. Soon after his death I was at Melton, when his widow showed me a beautiful variety of a light, golden-yellow colour, caught or shot in the vicinity of Melton on 6 March, 1885. Mr. W. Whitaker informed me that, whilst fishing at Desford, in August, 1879, he saw 'a light yellow water-vole ' ; and Mr. T. Aulay Macaulay, whilst fishing at Beaumanor on 3 April, 1888, saw another, which came and sat within five yards of him, and which he described as being of a pale-fawn or cinna- mon colour. Mr. F. Bouskell informed me that he obtained two specimens of the ' cinnamon ' variety at Knighton Brook, in June and July, 1884. Mr. J. Whitaker mentions that one, a pale sandy variety, was shot during August, 1 890, on the brook at Wistow Grange, and says that varieties of this species are rare." Specimens of the ' yellow vole ' were seen in the Blackbrook near Shepshed in 1 904-5 by Mr. H. Butler Johnson, B.A., of St. George's Lodge, Swannington. It would appear, therefore, that we have in Leicestershire a constant though rare variety, pro- bably peculiar to the district. 26. Field-Vole. Microtus agrtstis, Linn. Bell Arvicola agrestis. Locally, Short-tailed Field-Mouse. Resident and common. Mr. J. Whitaker, F.L.S., F.Z.S., of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, informs me of a light buff or cream-coloured variety of this species, procured at Wistow Grange, in 1884. The Leicester Museum possesses a group consisting of the male, female, and five young, taken at Aylestone on 7 July, 1885. 27. Bank- Vole. Evotomys glareolus, Schreber Bell Arvicola amfhibius. Locally, Red Field- Vole. Since the publication of my Notes on the Vertebrate Animals of Leicestershire this animal has turned up quite commonly at Belvoir, whence I have re- ceived, through the kindness of John Ryder, several specimens. Out of nine field-voles sent to me on 2 and 3 July, 1885, four were of the rarer species, which, with others, were exhibited at a meeting of the Zoological Section, ' E,' of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society, and upon which I made certain remarks, afterwards. 14 28. Common Hare. Lepus europaeus, Pallas. Bell Lepus timidus. Resident and commonly distributed. Some winters ago (circa 1884) the local papers recorded the fact of a hare running through the principal streets of the town of Leicester, and being ultimately caught in Lancaster Street ; and the Leicester Daily Post of 12 October, 1886, mentions the occurrence of a hare in Belvoir Street. The late Rev. Charles Hentin Wood, chaplain to the Leicestershire and Rutland Lunatic "Ibid. Ibid. 1885, p. 219. 14 Tram. Leic. Lit. and Phil. Soc. Oct. 1886, p. 27. 'On the Occurrence of a Mammal, hitherto unknown aa inhabiting Leicestershire.' By Montagu Browne, F.Z.S. also Zool. 1888, pp. 65-6.