A NATURALIST. 65 



ringly traced, with the hope of finding the living 

 animal, but in vain. On one occasion, I patiently 

 pursued a burrow nearly round a large barn, open- 

 ing it all the way. I followed it under the barn 

 floor, which was sufficiently high to allow me to 

 crawl beneath. There I traced it about to a tire- 

 some extent, and was at length rewarded by disco- 

 vering where it terminated, under a foundation- 

 stone, perfectly safe from my attempts. Most pro- 

 bably a whole family of them were then present, 

 and I had my labour for my pains. As these little 

 creatures are nocturnal, and are rarely seen, from 

 the nature of the places they frequent, the most 

 probable mode of taking them alive would be, by 

 placing a small mouse-trap in their way, baited 

 with a little tainted or slightly spoiled meat. If a 

 common mouse-trap be used, it is necessary to work 

 it over with additional wire, as this shrew could 

 pass between the bars even of a close mouse-trap. 

 They are sometimes killed by cats, and thus ob- 

 tained, as the cat never eats them, perhaps on 

 account of their rank smell, owing to a peculiar 

 glandular apparatus on each side, that pours out a 

 powerfully odorous greasy substance. The species 

 of the shrew genus are not all so exceedingly dimi- 

 nutive, as some of them are even larger than a com- 

 mon mouse. They have their teeth coloured at the 

 tips in a remarkable manner; it is generally of a 

 pitchy brown, or dark chestnut hue, and, like the 

 colouring of the teeth in the beaver and other 

 animals, is owing to the enamel being thus formed, 

 6* 



