108 

 ACTIVITY BY DAY. 



Some writers suppose that the shrews confine their activities 

 chiefly to the night, but I have found them but little less diurnal 

 than nocturnal in their habits. They will enter traps almost as 

 often by day as by night, especially if the traps are covered. 

 Most of their operations are under cover, but they will fre- 

 quently come to the surface and move about openly. Their 

 tracks in the snow indicate this habit, and it is not unusual to 

 see them making such excursions by daylight. I can recall two 

 occasions when I watched individuals running about over the 

 short grass of a pasture field and have frequently seen them in 

 the woods traveling in like manner over fallen leaves. 



On April 28th, 1906, while collecting insects in a wood- 

 land near Morgantown, I found an open, sunny spot where I 

 stood quietly for some time to sweep for passing butterflies. 

 While thus engaged, a rustling nearby in the dead leaves^ at- 

 tracted my attention, and on approaching noiselessly the spot 

 from which the sound proceeded I saw three short-tailed shrews 

 running about over the leaves, evidently foraging for insects. 

 They were hunting within a few feet of each other, and several 

 times were seen to rush excitedly about as though in pursuit of 

 some lively game. A slight noise made by striking my foot 

 against the ground caused them to dive instantly under the 

 leaves, but a moment later they reappeared and continued their 

 search. I watched them thus for some time, but was too far 

 away to distinguish what insects they were catching, if inieed 

 they were after insects. At another time, however, in Upshur 

 County, I saw a shrew while similarly engaged flush a large, 

 black cricket. The shrew made several frantic, but well-directed 

 leaps for the cricket, caught it, and immediately darted out of 

 sight beneath the leaves. The precision with which the shrew 

 jumped toward its prey led me to suspect that the sense of 

 sight is more perfect than the diminutive eyes indicate. 



