THE WATER-SHREW. 215 



to the utmost ; the head is raised in an attitude of atten- 

 tion ; and the bird remains in the most absolute stillness. 

 It was that leaf that we rustled, in the nervousness of our 

 desire to see him more distinctly ; he heard it, and is on 

 the watch. Lo, he is gone ! he dropped, like a stone, per- 

 pendicularly into the pool below; and yet not like a 

 stone, for he made no splash, and we are amazed that so 

 large a body could be immersed from so great a distance, 

 and yet produce scarcely a perceptible disturbance of the 

 surface. 



The little grebes, too, have taken the warning ; they are 

 gone, all but the faithful mother on the nest. She yet 

 lingers ; but we shew ourselves, and advance ; and now 

 she jumps into the green water, and disappears ; and all 

 is as still and sombre as if we were gazing on a grave. 



In our sequestered rural districts we have a little ani- 

 mal not uncommon, almost the tiniest of all quadrupeds, 

 the water-shrew, whose graceful form and pleasing habits 

 are very seldom seen, because of its cautious timidity. 

 With great care it may, however, be occasionally detected 

 in its gambols, and, with due precaution, watched. The 

 following charming picture of the little creature at free- 

 dom, all unconscious of observation, has been drawn by 

 Mr Dovaston : " On a delicious evening, far in April 

 1825, a little before sunset, strolling in my orchard, be- 

 side a pool, and looking into the clear water for insects 

 I expected about that time to come out, 1 was surprised 

 by seeing what I momentarily imagined to be some very 

 large beetle, dart with rapid motion, and suddenly dis- 



