27 



The nose of the shrew is elongated, and like that of the mol« Berros as • 

 Tery perfect instrument of touch. 



The colour of the Erd shrew is a brown on the back and an ashy 

 white underneath ; it has five toes, which are cloven. 



Tae habits of the shrew are not unlike those of the mole, for 

 it makes barrows through the ground, which serve both as hunting ground 

 and protection. Its nest wheie it deposits its young is not in the burrow, 

 but is a hole in some bank or in the ground. It usually produces from five 

 to seven youog in the spring. 



It is a popular belief that the bite of a shrew mouse is poisonous, but for 

 this there is no foundation ; but the dislike that cats and other feline animals 

 have to eating shrews may be to some extent explained by the powerful and dis- 

 agreeable odour emitted from the shrew's body. 



It is found, however, tbat owls will eat shrews, as pellets, disgorged by 

 owls, have been found to contain the bones of the shrew. 



It has often been remarked that in the autumn bodies of dead shrews are 

 found lying about upon paths and other bare places, and the reason of this has 

 often been discussed. 



The most likely cause for it seems to be that towards autumn the earth 

 becomes too hard to allow the shrews to burrow in search of insect food, and 

 that they consequently starve and die upon the surface ; and although there 

 are as many lying upon the grass as upon the paths they are not so apparent. 

 And that they should be permitted to lie undevoured by the cats, stoats, &o., 

 is explained by the fact I have already mentioned, that their odour is too 

 Tinpleasant for the taste of these animals. 



The water shrew (Sorex fodiens) is very similar in appearance to the Erd 

 shrew, but darker on its back and whiter beneath ; it has also a fringe of stiflE 

 white hairs edging the tail and the toes. Its habits are natatory, and it lives ia 

 holes in banks by the water. 



The Oared Shrew (Sorex ciliatus) is the largest British species, and resembles 

 very closely the water shrew, but is not so dark in colour on the back or so 

 white underneath. 



The whole family of shrews is a harmless set of little creatures, and are 

 often very useful in destroying noxious insects. Professor Owen says that in 

 moles and shrews the Tnilk teeth are developed and have disappeared before birth. 



I 



I must now pass on to make a brief notice of the last British representative 

 of the order inseotivora ; namely, the Hedgehog (Erinaceus Europoeus). This 

 animal, as its trivial name implies, is an inhabitant of the most part of Europe, 

 and it is found all over Britain. Every one will know the general appearance of 

 the hedgehog, with its pig-Uke snout and effective defensive armour of bristles, 

 so well that I need not enter upon any general description, but will merely 

 notice some less obvious points of the hedgehog's structure and habits. The 



