42 BULLETIN NO. VII. 
visitors were not bashful about criticising the housekeeping of 
their host, if their apparent amusement can thus be interpreted, 
but it was a most good humored little party nevertheless which 
thus unceremoniously ransacked my larder. The party in- 
creased in numbers and merriment, until I was almost forced 
to believe myself an uninvited guest within the magic circle 
of Queen Mab’s domain. I watched with interest the result 
of their intrusion into the traps which stood about for the 
capture of any red-backed mouse that might invade my camp, 
but Sorex passed entirely within, and daintily arching his back 
contentedly nibbled the cheese, and when the spring rose 
usually suffered but a short fright, and returned to finish the 
interrupted meal. Canned fish seemed to be more acceptable 
than any other food I had to offer. Tiring of the watching, I 
again lay down to sleep, during which time elfin voices sounded 
in my dreams. About midnight one of the little imps sprang 
across my face in so violent a way as to partially waken me, 
and thus, as good fortune had it, | was awake sufficiently to 
recognize the meaning of a sharp crack overhead and sprang 
out of my bed in time to see it occupied by a massive tree-trunk 
which the fire had burned off not far from the ground. 
The short-tailed shrew was seen during the progress of these 
investigations but seldom. While riding through a densely 
wooded portion of northwestern Hennepin county, near lake 
Independence, a small animal was seen running in an uncertain 
way across the road; a hasty pursuit resulted in its capture, 
although in an imperfect condition. It thus seems certain that 
this shrew is not strictly nocturnal. The same is true of the 
smaller shrews. They seem to rely more largely upon the 
sense of smell than that of vision, and are measurably inde- 
pendent of light in carrying on their search for insects. The 
smaller shrews were formerly abundant about Minneapolis, 
and their runways under the slight crust of a new snow, were 
everywhere encountered. It is certain that they endure the 
rigors of our severe winters well. Of late we have been unable 
to secure many specimens, perhaps owing to the abundance of 
cats, which, I dare say, do not make any fine zoological distine- 
tions before dinner. 
In the American Naturalist (vol. vii, p. 483), Mr. G. Linceum 
gives a graphic account of the habits of a species of Sorex 
from Long Point, Texas, a part of which I quote: 
‘‘They dwell in warm nests made of grass, about the fences 
or edges ‘of the prairie. They do not come about houses, and 
