230 THE WATER SHREW. 



rence, from a belief that it sometimes poisons 

 cattle. 



It burrows into the banks, and is seldom to be 

 seen out of its hole at any time, except in the 

 evenings. It swims with great facility both on the 

 surface of the water, and submersed in it. Its voice 

 resembles the chirp of a grasshopper. 



The female usually produces her offspring in the 

 early part of the summer; and brings about eight 

 young ones at a litter. 



In the gall-vessel of one of these animals, M. 

 Daubenton discovered a considerable quantity of 

 worms, which, he informs us, were of a kind some- 

 what similar to the fasciolae, or fluke-worms, found 

 in the livers of sheep and some other animals*. 



* Note by Latreille, in Buff. Sonn. xxv. p. 253, n. 



THE 



