THE SHREW MICE 



319 



batants advance squeaking with wide- 

 open jaws and snarling muzzles, squirm 

 round each other, jump clear across each 

 other, and at each other. Finally, one 

 or the other gets a hold, often on his 



SLEEPING ATTITUDE OF THE PYGMY SHKE"* 

 MOUSE. 



opponent's tail, and here the real business 

 begins. They fasten head to tail and 

 tail to head, and spin as a living ball 

 until the spin itself releases them. After 

 a few seconds' rest, during which they are 

 often lying on their backs squeaking 

 defiance, hostihties recommence, and the 

 rounds presumably continue until one 

 or the other combatant is completely ex- 

 hausted. I have never seen a duel which 

 terminated fatally. On one occasion I 

 had the privilege of watching one for 

 nearly ten minutes, and when at the 

 end of this time I parted the 

 combatants, neither appeared - 

 to have received even a super- 

 ficial wound. 



I fancy, however, that a 

 bloodless encounter of this 

 kind must be exceptional, for 

 I have often handled old males 

 who were as scarred as Chelsea 

 pensioners. One scar which I 

 have frequently met with takes 

 the form of a circular or oval 

 patch on which the hair growth 

 is so short that the grey middle 

 portion of the surrounding fur 

 is plainly visible as a ring 

 round it. It should, per- 

 haps, be mentioned that the 

 "colour" of small animals is 

 largely due to diffused pig- 

 ment in the tips of the hair. 



For the greater part of its length each 

 individual hair is slate grey or lead- 

 coloured. From scars such as these one 

 must conclude that the Shrew Mouse 

 occasionally has considerable patches of 

 skin torn bodily off him, and wounds 

 of this description are most likely to 

 occur in battles with his own kind. 



The characteristics which I have so 

 far described are applicable to all three 

 of our British species of Shrew Mice. 

 Before entering into more particular 

 details respecting the Water Shrew Mouse, 

 it may be well to describe the best means 

 of distinguishing the three species. Ex- 

 ternal features are sufficient to distinguish 

 the adults. The body length (nose-tip 

 to root of tail) of the adult Water Shrew 

 Mouse is 8o-go mm. ; that of the Common 

 Shrew Mouse 65-75 mm. ; that of the 

 Pygmy 45-55 mm. The tail length of 

 the Water Shrew Mouse is about 50 mm. ; 

 that of the Common Shrew !Mouse about 

 40 mm. ; that of the Pygmy a millimetre 

 or so less. The hind foot of the Water 

 Shrew ]\Iouse measures, exclusive of the 

 claws, about 18 mm. ; that of the Com- 

 mon Shrew Mouse 12-13 mm. ; that of 

 the Pygmy 11 mm. The latter measure- 

 ment, as will be seen later, is of great 

 importance. 



So far as colour is concerned, all our 

 three species exhibit considerable seasonal 

 variation, and the Common Shrew Mouse 

 is peculiarly liable to freakish patches of 



DEAD SPECIMENS OF (.1) AN IMMATURE COMMON SHREW 



MOUSE ; (/>■) A PYGMY SHREW MOUSE. 



The skulls and bones of the forc-linihs of tliesr two specimens are 



shown on p. 320. The two specimens were appr.->ximalelv equal in 



size, but the heavier skull of .1 is evident externally. 



