98 



COMMON BRITISH ANIMALS 



or it loveth him^ because it is feared of all . . . 

 They go very slowly ; they are fraudulent and take 

 their prey by deceit/^ 



And on the principle of like curing like, we may 

 suppose, the same author goes on to describe the 

 medicines which may be prepared from the body of 

 the shrew by burning it and grinding it to dust. 



Fig. 32. — The Common Shrew (Sorex vulgaris). (Photo, from 

 life by H. C. Wood.) 



The subject of these superstitions is the common 

 shrew, Sorex vulgaris. His velvety fur is rusty grey 

 above and white beneath. His head and body are 

 2j inches in length and his tail 1^ inches. He is 

 common in England and Scotland, but is not found 

 in Ireland. Though the males are the pugnacious 

 members of shrew societ}^, their name has been given 

 to the unfavoured ladies of human society. The 

 dead bodies of shrews are frequently to be seen lying 



