1126 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



5. Female. — September 22. Poorly preserved, had been 

 dead some time before pickling. Stomach almost empty; 

 earthworm setae only thing that could be identified; flesh 

 unrecognizable. 



6. Male. — September 22. Good condition. Stomach: 

 Insects wholly; soft parts almost completely digested. 



7. Female. — September 22. Stomach: Insects only; small 

 quantity. Must have been taken at same place as No. 6, food 

 being precisely same [they were living together]. More com- 

 plete digestion and poorer preservation indicate that it was 

 dead longer before pickling. 



8. Female. — September 22. Fair preservation. Stomach 

 nearly empty; legs of Isopod. 



9. Female. — September 22. Good health and well pre- 

 served. Stomach: Muscles and setze of earthworm only. 



10. Male. — September 23. Well preserved. Stomach: 

 Earthworms entirely. 



11. Female. — September 23. Well preserved. Stomach: 

 Earthworms; insects probably. 



12. Female. — September 23. Liver somewhat inflamed 

 and hardened, may have been due to injury in capture. Stom- 

 ach: Isopod legs. What appear to be hyphae and sporangia 

 of some fungus; parts of insects. 



13. Female. — September 25. No especial sexual develop- 

 ment; in good condition, well preserved. Stomach: Earth- 

 worms; some arthropod, probably a sow-bug, recognizable by 

 chitinous pieces and legs; connective tissue and striated muscle 

 probably of a small mammal (rodent .?) flesh found in teeth 

 [doubtless the bait of the trap]. 



Merriam found the Blarina partial to beechnuts, and 

 ready to eat corn and oats at a pinch." 



In a feed-box at one corner of an outbuilding I saw by the 

 tracks that a Mouse came daily to steal crushed corn, so set a 

 trap, and was surprised and sorry next day to find that the 

 thief, already dead, was not a Mouse, but a female Blarina, 



"Mam. Adir., 1884, p. i6q. 



