436 THE WATER SHREW. 



great inflammation, so that it be three times environed or compassed about the party 

 so troubled. The Shrew which dyeth in the furrow of a cart-wheel, being found and 

 rowled in potter's clay or a linnen cloth, or in crimson, or in scarlet woollen cloth, and 

 three times marked about the impostrumes, which will suddenly swell in any man's 

 body, will very speedily and effectually help and cure the same. 



The tail of a Shrew being cut off and burned, and afterwards beaten into dust, and 

 applyed or anointed upon the sore of any man, which came by the bite of a greedy and 

 ravenous dog, will in very short space make them both whole and sound, so that the 

 tail be cut from the Shrew when she is alive, not when she is dead, for then it hath 

 neither good operation, nor efficacy in it." 



It is probable that this virulent hatred of the Shrew, and this groundless terror of its 

 bite, was caused by the rank scent which exudes from the creature, and the acknowl- 

 edged fact that the Shrew is frequently seen in the close vicinity of reposing cattle. 

 But as the Shrew is an insectivorous animal, it has been well suggested that its habit 

 of frequenting the neighborhood of cattle may be in consequence of the flies and other 

 insects which are always found in such localities, and on which the Shrew hopes to 

 make a meal. 



It has already been mentioned that the Shrew will eat one of its own species if slain 

 in battle, and it is therefore evident that its food does not wholly consist of insects and 

 worms, but is occasionally varied by other and more generous diet. One of these little 

 creatures has been discovered and killed while grasping a frog by the hind-leg ; and so 

 firmly did it maintain its grasp, that even after its death the sharp teeth still clung to 

 the limb of the frog. Whether the creature intended to eat the frog, or whether it was 

 urged to this act by revenge or other motive, is uncertain. 



The nest of the Shrew is not made in the burrow, as might be supposed, but is built 

 in a suitable depression in the ground, or in a hole in a 'bank. It is made of leaves and 

 other similar substances, and is entered through a hole at the side. In this nest are 

 produced the young Shrews, from five to seven in number, and, as may be imagined, 

 extremely diminutive in size. They are generally born in the spring. 



The total length of the adult Shrew is not quite four inches, of which the tail occupies 

 very nearly the moiety. The tail is remarkable for being square in form, instead of 

 cylindrical, and on account of that circumstance it has received from some authors the 

 specific name of tetragoniirus, or Square-tail. 



SIMILAR to the erd Shrew in general aspect, but easily to be distinguished from that 

 animal by its color and other peculiarities, the WATER SHREW stands next on our list. 



This little creature was for many years supposed to be identical with the erd Shrew, 

 and its aquatic propensities thought to be the ebullition of joyous existence, which was 

 not content with disporting itself upon the earth, but must needs seek a further vent for 

 its happiness among the waters. However, the Water Shrew is now acknowledged to 

 be a separate species, and may be distinguished from the erd Shrew by the following 

 characteristics. 



The fur of the Water Shrew is nearly black upon the upper portions of the body, 

 instead of the reddish-brown color which tints the fur of the erd Shrew. The under 

 parts of the body are beautifully white, and the line of demarcation between the two 

 colors is very distinctly drawn. The fur is very soft and silken in texture, and, when 

 the animal is submerged under the surface of the water, possesses the useful property 

 of repelling moisture, and preserving the body of the animal from the injurious effects 

 of the water. When the Water Shrew is engaged in swimming, those parts of the fur 

 which are submerged below the surface appear to be studded with an infinite number 

 of tiny silvern beadlets, that give to the whole animal a very singular aspect. This 

 phenomenon is produced by the minute air bubbles that cling to the fur, and which 

 exude from the space that is left between the hairs. This curious appearance is well 

 shown in the large engraving of British Shrews on page 422. 



A further distinction, and one which is more valuable than that which is furnished by 



