Mole-shrew 1135 



tear the longicolli and rectus muscles. His motions were quite 

 frantic, and he jerked and tore out considerable fragments 

 with his long anterior teeth. He seemed especially anxious to 

 get down the snake's throat (where some of his kin had prob- 

 ably gone before), and revolved on his long axis, now with his 

 belly up, now with his sides, in his energetic efforts. He had 

 apparently not been bitten by the snake and was uninjured. 

 Whether the Shrew killed the snake is of course uncertain, but 

 the animus with which he devoured the reptile gives some 

 colour to the suspicion that he in some way frightened him 

 to exhaustion." 



Had it been a Mouse of the same size instead of the 

 Shrew, the incident would undoubtedly have terminated the 

 other way; but the strength, ferocity, activity, and courage 

 of the Blarina are such that if it were increased to half the size 

 of a tiger it might quite logically make tigers its habitual 

 prey. 



But even this valiant one has foes to fear. Hawks and ene 

 owls of all kinds are ready to kill the Blarina and swallow it 

 whole; while Lynxes and Weasels, dogs and cats rarely lose 

 a chance of giving it a fatal nip or a crushing death-blow, 

 although they are deterred from eating it by the rank odour 

 that it emits, doubtless as a protection. 



Yet another class of foes it has, one that is too small for it 

 to master, for the nursing female, already mentioned as taken 

 July 21, was swarming with three different kinds of fur-lice. 



It is to be hoped that the farmer will never enlist himself 

 against the Blarina. It may kill good bugs and bad bugs 

 indiscriminately; it may take a little grain when nothing better 

 is at hand, but the balance of benefit is far in the farmer's 

 favour. All the evidence goes to show that its favourite food 

 is Mice. For mouse-meat it will hunt and struggle without 

 wearying, eschewing all other diet, when this is at all a possi- 

 bility; and just so surely as the Mouse is the farmer's foe, so 

 surely is the Blarina his good friend and worthy of active pro- 

 tection. 



