512 Short Communications i — 



used by the inhabitants for purposes of draught; vegetables 

 and other country produce being brought to market in little 

 carts drawn by one or more of these dogs. It is not uncom- 

 mon in the populous districts about Quebec to see children 

 drawn in little cart-like carriages by a couple of them; and 

 it is really surprising to see with what speed they drag one of 

 these vehicles along. — Id. 



■ The Water Shrew {Sbrex fbdiens L.). — Since the redisco- 

 very of this interesting little animal in England, by Mr. Do- 

 vaston [Vol. II. p. 219.], many instances have been recorded 

 [Vol. II. p. 399. 483., III. p. 90. 188. 236. 471., V. p. 79. 

 298., VI. p. 452.] of its occurring in various parts of the coun- 

 try. The species is not rare in this neighbourhood ; and I sus- 

 pect that, if sought for in its proper localities, it will be found 

 more or less distributed throughout the kingdom. — Edward 

 Btyth. Tooting^ Surrey, Sept. 23. 1833. 

 i The Oared Water Shrew, Sbrex remifer Yarrell (Vol. V. 

 p. 598.), is not rare in the Neighbourhood of Glasgow. — Our 

 information respecting the smaller quadrupeds, even of our 

 own country, is still very imperfect, and doubtless several of 

 them are still unknown to us. The iSorex remifer has not 

 yet been recognised as a native of Scotland, although it ap- 

 pear to be by no means uncommon in the neighbourhood of 

 Glasgow. Last autumn I was so fortunate as to procure 

 three specimens of this shrew, all of them from different 

 situations. Although it is decidedly a water shrew, all the 

 specimens were found at a distance from any pool or consider- 

 able body of. water. It is unnecessary to give any description 

 of this animal, as my examples agree precisely with the 

 account of the Sorex remifer given by Mr. Yarrell in Vol. V. 

 p. 598. I will only remark, that the snout is exceedingly flat 

 (resembling in this respect that of the Chrysocholiris capensis), 

 a circumstance which at once distinguishes it from the common 

 water shrew (Sorex fodiens L.). The specimens from this 

 vicinity agree with those described . by Mr. Yarrell in being 

 smaller than the French ones mentioned by M. Geoffroy 

 St. Hilaire. 



The discovery of this species as a native of England is due 

 to Dr. Hooker, who found it in Norfolk, and his specimen 

 was afterwards figured by Sowerby, in his British Miscellany, 

 under the name of «S6rex ciliatus. Dr. Hooker, to whose kind- 

 ness I am much indebted in having free access to his library, 

 the only one on natural history in this town, at once recognised 

 my specimen as being in every respect similar to the water 

 shrew which he had procured in Norfolk. — John Scolder, 

 M.D. Glasgow, July 25. 1833. 



