30 INSECTIVORA 



"Memoirs" (vol. ii., p. 238), stated that it was then "by- 

 no means rare in the county of Fife," Its presence near 

 Abbotsford was recorded in the "Magazine of Natural 

 History" (iii,, p. 236) prior to the appearance of Secular's 

 note. What Secular {op. cit., 1834, vi., p. 512) really did 

 was to recognise the variety remifer for the first time as 

 Scottish. 



Since this memoir was read, I have had an unusually 

 good opportunity of studying the habits of this interesting 

 animal in the Braid burn below Comiston farm. About 8 p.m., 

 on 22nd May, while strolling quietly by the side of the stream, 

 a series of ripples spreading over the water from the bank 

 almost beneath my feet attracted my attention. In a few 

 seconds the wavelets had vanished, and the surface of the 

 pool was as still as before ; but while I gazed into it a little 

 creature, clothed as it were in silver, darted from the bank to 

 the bottom of the stream, and after hastily snatching some 

 water insects or crustaceans from a piece of wood lying on 

 the mud, returned precipitately to its den. In this way it 

 continued to feed for some minutes, when the sudden appear- 

 ance of three others swimming out from the opposite bank 

 was evidently the signal for play, for in an instant the four 

 joined company and scampered up the stream after each 

 other with astonishing rapidity, swimming on the surface or 

 beneath it, or running on the margin with equal facility. 

 Having gone a distance of twenty-five or thirty yards, they 

 disappeared into a drain, but soon reappeared, and pro- 

 ceeded down stream, in the same manner as they had gone 

 up, till about twenty yards below where I stood, when they 

 disappeared a second time. In a few minutes they were 

 out again, and so the chase went on for fully half an hour. 

 They frequently made a squeaking noise, which seemed to 

 me identical with that uttered by the Common Shrew. With 



