106 



manent displacement of the earth behind. In this way prac- 

 tically all the surface of the ground, to a depth of two or three 

 inches, had been worked over and in removing the earth with 

 the trowel only one chestnut-worm was found. From the num- 

 ber of chestnut burrs and wormy nut shells that were scattered 

 over the ground at that point, it seemed probable that many 

 more worms than this had originally entered the soil. If this 

 were true the greater part of them had undoubtedly fallen a 

 prey to shrews. 



The interest awakened by these observations led me to in- 

 quire more fully into the habitats and general characteristics of 

 these small mammals. As the inquiries have progressed many 

 new lines of interest pertaining to the subject have suggested 

 themselves which, for practical and scientific reasons, it has 

 seemed profitable to follow up. Some of the questions bearing 

 upon the economic status of the shrews have already been an- 

 swered by investigators, but there yet remain many points, espe- 

 cially in regard to their feeding habits, that are unsettled. The 

 economic status of the shrews depends largely upon the quality 

 of food which they consume. They are known to feed largely 

 on insects and mice and have therefore been designated by 

 nearly all writers on the Soricidae as being highly beneficial. 

 This designation is most likely entirely proper, and yet the prob- 

 ability that the shrews also feed on beneficial insects and birds' 

 eggs and fledglings should not be lost sight of. The harm which 

 they do in this way may offset in a measure the good resulting 

 from their destruction of injurious species. 



In endeavoring to obtain accurate data as to the insect food 

 of the shrew, I have worked along three lines : 1st, examinations 

 of the stomach contents of specimens collected in the field; 2nd, 

 studies of the foods preferred by individuals in captivity, and 

 3rd, observations on the species of insects that live habitually, 

 either as larvae, pupae or adults, in such places as are frequented 

 by shrews. In view of the fact that these investigations are as 

 yet far from complete, and that it is the present intention to 



