44 



MAMMALS. 



"pouched mice" of the Australian region. Indeed they 

 bear, especially in the peculiarly sensitive snout, consider- 

 ably more resemblance to their near ally, the mole. Being, 

 however, still more exclusive in their preference for insect 

 diet, though their pugnacity leads them to attack with 

 zeal small birds, lizards, frogs, and the like, they are even 

 less mischievous, though the AVater-Shrew makes an occa- 

 sional raid on fish and their spawn. They are normally of 

 dark colour, but albinos have been recorded from time to 

 time in the columns of the ' Field,' both of the Common 

 species in Great Britain and of the Lesser in Ireland. 



The Common Shrew is widely distributed throughout 

 Great Britain and some of the Scottish isles, but is not 

 Common found in Ireland. It has the fighting instincts 

 Shrew. ^f j^g j-ace ; and the quantities of dead shrews 

 found in country lanes in late summer might easily be 

 attributed to this cause, were it not that they bear on 

 them no outward signs of violence. As it is, this singular 

 mortality remains without satisfactory expla- 

 nation. The shrew has many enemies. By 

 man, curiously enough, it is but little troubled, which may 

 in part be due to its retiring habits, though formerly a 



very cruel and 

 ridiculous super- 

 stition that its 

 touch was suf- 

 ficient to lame 

 cattle led to its 

 persecution and 

 the barbarous 

 antidote of the 

 " shrew ash," in Avhich the offender was buried alive, 

 imparting to the wood, so it was said, marvellous healing 

 qualities. It is, however, largely consumed 

 by owls and moles, while cats kill but do not 

 eat it, a habit tliat has been thought by some to account 

 for the dead shrews aforementioned. 



Mortality, 



Enemies 



