82 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



England. In Sutherland it is, however, said to be far from rare, 

 although the dark variety appears to be less common there 

 than in other parts of the country. Hitherto its presence has 

 not been detected in the Hebrides or any of the other Scotch 

 islands ; and it is quite unknown in Ireland. 



Habits. — Residing in long winding burrows excavated by itself 

 in the banks of rivulets, brooks, ditches, or ponds, the Water- 

 Shrew is fully as active in the water as a Water- Vole or 

 Otter. In search of food, writes Macgillivray, " it makes 

 excursions upon the water, and dives with ease to the bottom. 

 In swimming, it presents a singular appearance, its sides being 

 apparently expanded, its body lying so lightly as to be two- 

 thirds out of the water, its tail extended along the surface ; and 

 it paddles away seemingly with little effort, scarcely causing a 

 ripple, although its speed is considerable. I have seen it 

 sporting as it were in the water, several individuals swimming 

 about in different directions, sometimes shooting along in 

 curves at an accelerated rate. It is a very timorous animal, 

 and on the least apprehension of danger, dives and gets close 

 to the bank, or swims directly to its hole." 



An earlier writer, Dovaston, describes the graceful move- 

 ments of this Shrew as follows. Lying close to the bank of the 

 pool in which one of these creatures was disporting itself, he 

 wTites : — " I repeatedly marked it glide from the bank, under 

 water, and bury itself in the mass of leaves at the bottom ; — 

 I mean the leaves that had fallen off the trees in autumn, and 

 which lay very thick over the mud. It very shortly returned, 

 and entered the bank, occasionally putting its long sharp nose 

 out of the water, and paddling close to the edge. This it 

 repeated at very frequent intervals, from place to place, seldom 

 going more than two yards from the side, and always returning 

 in about half a minute. I presume it sought and obtained 

 some insect or food among the rubbish and leaves, and retired 



