218 The Ottawa Naturalist. [March 



here, for no such animal has been noticed, either dead or ahve, 

 reseinbling this in the last twenty years. Why I say dead or 

 alive is because dead specimens of our shrews and moles are 

 often found on our highways. 



Other shrews and their relatives that I have taken here 

 are as follows: 



Common mole, Condylura cristata. Generally distributed, 

 it habitat being chiefly wettish places where it burrows in 

 search of worms, grubs, etc. Its colour ranges from sootv to 

 black, according to season. It is larger, being much more stoutly 

 proportioned, than the shrews. Measurements are about as 

 follows: body 130 mm.; tail 60 mm.; hind foot 23 mm. 



Short -tailed shrew, Blarina hrevicauda. Generally dis- 

 tributed about damp woods and fields; have secured some in 

 open fields and in the same runways as used by the common 

 meadow mouse, or vole. Its colour is ashy, slightly paler below, 

 varies with the seasons. Measurements are about as follows: 

 body 90 mm. ; tail 23 mm. ; hind foot 14 mm. 



Smoky shrew, Sorex jumeus. This species is without doubt 

 the most common of the shrews in this locality. It seems to be 

 found mostly about moist woods and thickets. The general size 

 here is, body 68 mm.; tail 44 mm.; hind foot 13 mm. Colour 

 grayish, slightly paler below, lightest on throat; feet and tail 

 lighter than body, tip of tail darkest. 



Little shrew, Sorex personatus. Found about moist woods 

 and swampy grassy areas. This species very much resembles 

 5. fumeus but is much smaller; body 50 mm. ; tail 43 mm. ; hind 

 foot 13 mm. 



These constitute the species found at Scotch Lake. There 

 are two other species found elsewhere in the province, viz. : 

 5. hoyi taken in northern New Brunswick ; (I think I secured a 

 specimen near Nictor Lake in Restigouche County, but the skin 

 was destroyed), and 5. richardsoni reported from along the St. 

 John River by Dr. Cox. 



As mentioned above specimens of moles and shrews are 

 frequently found dead along roadways. Upon examination I 

 have always found them to have been killed by some preying 

 mammal, probably the work of a weasel. The skulls have all 

 been more or less broken, and at times the skin about the fore 

 parts punctured or baidlv mutilated. Cats will kill shrews, 

 probably in mistake for mice, but thev do not eat them as the 

 shrews have a pungent musky odor obnoxious to carnivorous 

 mammals. 



