SHREWS 



out straight. It is a slim mite, too, not 

 being nearly so bulky, and it seems a mere 

 wisp of fur and life rather than a fierce 

 shrew. It is the smallest European mammal, 

 being less in size than even the tiny harvest 

 mouse. Despite its smallness the lesser shrew 

 is found in many places where there are no 

 common shrews. It is the only shrew found 

 in Ireland, where neither the water nor common 

 shrews occur. It has also got to many out- 

 of-the-way islands which the other shrews have 

 not reached. Yet in the greater part of 

 England it is not very common. However, if 

 you meet with a very small shrew that has a 

 tail which, compared with the length of its 

 body, is longer than that of the ordinary shrew, 

 you may be sure that it is a pigmy. One of 

 the best ways to find out what mice and 

 shrews there are in a neighbourhood is to hunt 

 about beneath the spot where an owl roosts; 

 here you will find oval bundles of fur and 

 bones, which are the pellets or castings that the 

 bird throws up after every meal. Owls swallow 

 their food wholesale, fur, bones, and all. Then 

 this stuff which cannot be digested is thrown 

 up again, and by examining it you will find 

 out exactly what the owl has eaten lately. 



83 



