NATURALISTS CABINET. 



Habits Offensive odour. 



stables, hay-lofts, and on dung-hills; sometimes 

 it is found in the woods, and fields, beneath the 

 roots of trees, or under heaps of faggots, or 

 leaves, where it frequently forms a little burrow. 

 The female produces as many young at a time 

 as the common mouse, but not so frequently. 



This little animal does not ramble far from 

 home, its sight being very imperfect, and its 

 pace slow ; so that it may be caught with very 

 Jittle difficulty. It feeds on insects, grain, and 

 rools, and, when it can be found, on putrescent 

 flesh. 



When chased, or ensnared, it utters a cry 

 more sharp and piercing than that of the mouse. 

 It has also ft strong and offensive smell, owing to 

 which most cats reject the flesh, or if they eat 

 #ny part of it, are subject to sickness afterwards. 

 They will, however, pursue and kill it whenever 

 they have an opportunity. 



From this noisome odour a notion has been 

 imbibed by ignorant people, that it is possessed 

 of a considerable degree of venom; to which 

 they attribute some diseases of horses and other 

 cattle; but a common observer, when he consi- 

 ders the formation of its mouth, which could not 

 possibly open sufficiently wide to seize the dou- 

 ble thickness of another animal's skin, must rca- 

 flily acquit it of the charge ; and naturally con- 

 clude, that those casual swellings in animal* 

 rather proceed from internal causes. 



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