7624 Quadrupeds. 



our previous visit. It is probable that tliey find food, during these 

 partial awakings, in the moths, gnats and spiders met with, in every 

 <cave, in company with them. 



On a former visit of mine to Balliallia cave, in August, 1859, I 

 could not find any trace of bats, although Mr. Foot found them 

 there the March previous. This, coupled with our finding them so 

 abundant on our present visit, shows that the surmise as to the animal's 

 change of habitat in summer is correct. I am thus particular about 

 the habits of these animals because so little is known of them. Of 

 the specimens captured I brought several home, and placed them 

 under a box ; they lived with me for eight days, and, although they 

 refused to eat, soon accommodated themselves to their quarters. 

 One which escaped gave us a favourable opportunity of judging of 

 their skill in avoiding objects about the room, and also in rising from 

 flat surfaces. They scrambled and fought a good deal at night, but 

 were quiet during the day. On several of them I found specimens of 

 a large and disgusting-looking tick. The great proportion of the 

 bats were full-grown, only about a tenth of the number being imma- 

 ture ; these differed in no respect from the others, except in a light- 

 ness of colour and in the characters of their dentition. 



!VvU>' 



l^v. 



J. R. KiNAHAN. 



Emraordinary Assemblage of Shrew Mice. — While waiting a few days apo with- 

 two friends along a beautiful country road near the seat of Sir Michael R. S. Stewart, 

 Bart., at Inverkiss, on the Clyde, we were surprised to hear an unusual rustling in 

 the dead leaves and grass at the bottom of the hedge. As naturalists always do, 

 we stopped to discover the cause, and judge of our astonishment when we saw between 

 one hundred and one hundred and fifty shrew mice running nimbly about, uttering 

 their peculiar sharp cry. Our presence did not seem to disturb them, for they continued 

 chasing and calling on one another. We tried to catch some of them, and one of our 

 number, by putting his hand opposite to a shrew, had the pleasure of seeing it walking 

 in. It died before morning, being smothered in the box in which it had been confined. 

 I have always considered that they lived in pairs, and were not gregarious, and I have 

 invariably found them to shun observation, and exhibit a dread and fear of man, but 

 in this instance both of my previous ideas of their habits were overturned, for here they 

 were in scores, surprising us with their boldness and bravery. T tried to bag one, and 

 it was only after making a dash at some score of them that 1 caught one. When I 

 tried to catch any, they would suddenly make a wheel backwards, and, uttering a shrill 

 cry, turn right round and cross instantly over the spot where my hand had been. 

 When caught the little fellow showed fight, but his long pig-like nose saved my fingers 

 from any harm. All the time we were there they continued to cry and run about, 

 seemingly making themselves very happy. Perhaps some of the readers of the 



