OWLS AND VOLES.
A brave prophecy about another sort of owl has been made by Miss France4 Pitt, who is. perhaps the greatest specialist we have on British mammals. She has not only observed them. but kept most of them as pets. One of her pets, the little field vole, has been multiplying out of all conscience in the neigh- bourhood of Lake Vyrnwy. One hears the name with some suspicion since some of the exaggerators of the musk rat infestation suggested that the bank of the Vyrnwy Reservoir (made of immensely thick concrete) was in danger from the burrowers ! However, there is no doubt about the multitude Of these voles. They have honeycombed their fields and eaten their way across the country. Miss Pitt prophesies the arrival of short-eared owls which are as fond of the field vole as the cuckoo of the hairy caterpillar. At one time in New South Wales, mice had multiplied to such an extent that they had eaten out even the homes, devouring mattresses and furniture as readily almost as stores of food. Then the plague disappeared as suddenly and as mysteriously as it arose. With regard to the field vole I am inclined to think, though this may be a " peak year," as the Oxford biologists claim, that the species is considerably bigger than it was. It has done great damage in sonic gardens, very familiar to me, during the last three or four years. In my own garden it is thought to have destroyed (though the identification of the species is not certain) every single seedling of some precious snapdragon ! The seed leaves are so neatly nibbled off that every slender stalk is left standing.
Previous page
