26 INSECTIVORA 



entirely to its habits and uses. We may fairly assume, 

 however, that had it then been unknown, or even very rare 

 in Fife a county whose animals were probably better known 

 to him than those of any other part of Scotland he would 

 have made some allusion to the fact. Only six years after 

 the publication of Lightfoot's work, the "Urchin" was included 

 without comment in an enumeration of animals found in the 

 parish of Dowally, near Dunkeld (" Old Statistical Account 

 of Scotland," vol. xx., p. 472). It is also mentioned in the 

 Account of the parish of Tillicoultry, written in 1795 

 (op. rit., vol. xv., p. 200). Don, in his " List of Forfarshire 

 Animals," published in 1813 (Headrick's "Agriculture" of the 

 County, Appendix, p. 38), says : "This animal was formerly 

 rare in Angusshire, but of late years it has appeared in 

 tolerable plenty." From personal inquiries made in different 

 parts of the counties of Fife, and Perth as far north as the 

 entrance to the Highlands, I learn that it is common through- 

 out these districts, and none of my correspondents can 

 remember when it was otherwise. Mr Keay, gamekeeper, 

 Murthly, can speak from his own knowledge to its abundance 

 in that neighbourhood for over forty years. Sixty- three years 

 ago, the limit set by Fleming to its northern distribution in 

 Britain was the Moray Firth (" British Animals," p. 8). 



COMMON SHEEW. 



SOREX VULGAPJS L. 



Very abundant and apparently universally distributed in 

 the district, expresses no more than the bare truth with 

 regard to this species. Though so common, comparatively 

 few people would be aware of its presence but for the feeble 

 cheep and rustle in the grass, and the occasional dead body 



