water-vole

But in answer to all my shouts there never was any sound at all, except of a rocky echo, or a scared bird hustling away, or the sudden dive of a water-vole; and the place grew thicker and thicker, and the covert grew darker above me, until I thought that the fishes might have good chance of eating me, instead of my eating the fishes.

Lorna Doone Richard Doddridge 2004

Then a water-vole washing his whiskers gave occasion for a sudden touching of hands and the intimate confidence of whispers and silence together.

Love and Mr Lewisham Herbert George 2004

I do not think that the owner of the garden knew very much about the characters either of the cat or water-vole.

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 355, October 16, 1886 Various

Yet, with nothing to direct it except instinct, the water-vole can, though working in darkness, drive its burrow in any direction and emerge from the ground exactly at the spot which it has selected.

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 355, October 16, 1886 Various

I do not mean to assert that the water-vole is never injurious to man.

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 355, October 16, 1886 Various

Having, of course, the pistol with me, and wanting to dissect a water-vole, I proceeded to aim at the animal.

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 355, October 16, 1886 Various

Although the balls had missed the water-vole, they must have sharply jarred the stump.

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 355, October 16, 1886 Various

Bunches of grapes on outdoor vines are sometimes nipped off the branches by the teeth of the water-vole, and the animal has been seen to climb beans and peas, split the pods, and devour the contents.

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 355, October 16, 1886 Various

A water-vole crouching upon a stump presents no point at which to aim, the brown fur of the animal and the brown surface of the old weather-beaten stump seeming to form a single object without any distinct outline; moreover, it is very difficult to calculate distances over water.

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 355, October 16, 1886 Various

I may casually mention that the water-vole is one of the aquatic animals which, when zoological knowledge was not so universal as it is at the present day, were reckoned as fish, and might be eaten on fast days.

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 355, October 16, 1886 Various