126 The Irish Naturalist. July, 



so — will refuse to eat a shrew after killing it. Owls, Kestrels, 

 and, as Mr. Adams adds, Magpies eat shrews readily; and 

 both Hedgehogs and Moles would, in his opinion, eat them 

 if the}^ could catch them. In any case, the fact of the mor- 

 tality occurring in Ireland, where there are no Moles, would 

 suffice to acquit the latter animal, while the Hedgehog is 

 equall}^ absolved of being, at an}^ rate, the sole cause of the 

 death-rate by the extension of the epidemic to islands outside 

 that creature's range. For example, Mr. Millais records 

 having seen the dead bodies of many Lesser Shrews in autumn 

 in West North Uist, so that the mortality is probably quite as 

 great in the Outer Hebrides, where there are no Hedgehogs, 

 as it is in any part of Ireland. 



Mr. Adams does not notice another suggestion put forw^ard 

 by Mr. Millais, that shrews make seasonal migrations, and 

 that the less robust possibly die from fatigue on the way. 

 There is, however, no direct evidence that these migrations 

 take place. Want of food can hardly be the cause of death, 

 as the bodies found are often plump — I think Mr. Barrington 

 once jokingly suggested to me that they might have died of 

 repletion — and the mortality begins to be noticeable quite 

 early in August, when insect food must be still almost at its 

 maximum. In short, Mr. Adams' explanation, whether we 

 accept it or not, seems to me the most plausible that has yet 

 been advanced on this ver}^ perplexing question; but careful 

 inquir}^ will need to be made in many directions before it can 

 claim to have been established. 



Shrews are, unfortunately, so difficult to keep in captivity 

 that there is little hope of light being thrown on the subject 

 of their ages by the records of the various zoological societies. 

 Dr. Scharff kindly informs me, however^ that he has made 

 inquiries as to any records of the kind kept by the Zoological 

 Society of London, and that he learns that no shrews have 

 lived long enough in the Gardens to disprove in any way the 

 suggestion under review. 



Dubliu. 



