392 SHREWS, MOLES AND BATS 



In disposition the Shrew-mouse is a fierce, pugnacious little 

 animal, ready to attack all comers ; two rarely meet without 

 fighting, and if shut up together one is certain to be killed by the 

 other. In a quaint old book, ' ' The Historic of Four-Foot ed Beast es," 

 by the Rev. Edward Tapsell, the Shrew is described as a " ravening 

 beast e, feigning itself gentle and tame, but, being touched, it 

 biteth deep, and poysoneth deadly. It beareth a cruel minde, 

 desireing to hurt anything, neither is there any creature that it 

 loveth, or it loveth him, because it is feared of all." All sorts of 

 things were connected with this harmless little creature in olden 

 times. If a cow's supply of milk ran short it was believed she 

 had been bitten by a Shrew, and accidentally to touch one was looked 

 upon as a sure sign of coming misfortune. As a remedy for " Shrew- 

 bitten " animals a live Shrew was imprisoned in a hole in an ash 

 tree and the twigs and leaves of the " Shrew ash " given to the 

 sufferers. The Shrew also entered into all sorts of weird concoctions 

 which were supposed to cure various evils from inflammation to 

 the bite of a mad dog. 



In the autumn numbers of Shrew-mice are often found dead 

 in gardens, hedgerows, and ditches, having, in all probability, 

 succumbed for lack of their natural food ; those sufficiently well 

 fed hibernate through the winter. Shrew-mice are preyed upon 

 by owls and weasles, and frequently killed by cats; the latter, 

 however, do not eat them, probably on account of their strong 

 musky odour. 



The Pygmy Shrew enjoys the distinction of being the smallest 

 of British Mammals. It is not, however, the least of its tribe, 

 for there is an even more minute species belonging to the Musk 

 Shrew family inhabiting Egypt. 



The Water Shrew has a velvety black coat ; the under parts 

 are usually white, but some individuals of the same species are 

 more or less dark all over. The feet and under-surface of the 

 tail are furnished with fringes of stiff hairs, enabling the Shrew to 

 swim with ease. It is, indeed, thoroughly at home in the water, and 

 in the daytime may be seen indulging in all sorts of antics in clear 

 streams. It is fond of running up the stems of water-plants, diving 

 into the water, and frisking in and out the reeds and rushes. Its 

 food consists of all sorts of aquatic insects and small crustaceans, 

 and it is often to be seen running about over the bottom of the 



