Almost larger than life vintage field vole drawing by Friedrich Specht (1839 -1909) that was included in The Royal Natural History. I think they look quite a bit like the prairie dogs found in the American southwest.
The field vole is one of the most common mammals found in Europe. They grow to only four inches in length.
This vintage field vole drawing depicts a pair of voles hidden under a variety of plant life. One vole is dining on some of the vegetation whilst the other, perhaps, keeps a lookout for predators. It’s a typical wood block print type of piece from that era and hasn’t been colorized. Adding some greens and yellows to the vegetation and some nice browns to the two voles would make this public domain illustration even more charming.
Making the pair seem almost larger in life is due, in part, to the wonderful large-sized illustration I’ve found to share with you. The one here is a bit smaller but just click on it to access the largest version I have.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.