586 
shrew immediately attacked the mouse most furiously. The 
mouse simply fought in self-defense, but the shrew returned to the 
attack again and again. It would approach the mouse with its feet 
set far apart, its whole form showing a peculiar tense alertness and 
relish of the fray, noted by Kennicott. In less than ten minutes the 
shrew had chewed off one ear and bitten off the tail of the mouse, 
and, finally, by a lucky dash, had seized the mouse by the base of the 
skull, killed it instantly, and had eaten out the brains. They are 
supposed to eat but little vegetable food, but I have taken them in 
new traps baited with oatmeal alone, and their mouths were full of 
the oatmeal when caught. They have also been known to eat nuts. 
There are four to six ina litter, and two or three broods a year. 
They may be born at any time of the year, though less frequent- 
ly in winter. 
Shrews are provided with large glands, in the vicinity of the 
shoulder, that give off an offensive odor, and presumably produce a 
taste displeasing to other animals. Cats and dogs seldom eat 
shrews, although they may kill them. To what extent these glands 
protect shrews against attack by wild mammals is hard to tell, but 
as shrews are often found dead and not eaten, it would seem lkely 
that the larger wild carnivores kill them and leave them. Certainly 
these glands do not protect the shrews from hawks and owls, both 
of which feed on them extensively. 
It is unfortunate, that the shrews should be so generally classed 
in the popular mind with mice. The only possible injury that 
shrews may do, is to destroy some insects that are beneficial to the 
farmer. This is merely a hypothetical injury, and is certainly more 
than compensated by the good they do. A. F. Shull,* who made 
an elaborate study of this species at Ann Arbor, Michigan, has esti- 
mated that a single shrew during one month might kill and use for 
food the equivalent of 20 meadow-mice, 30 house-mice, or 450 May- 
beetles. In captivity shrews killed and ate all mice confined with 
them, and there is no reason to believe that they are less blood- 
thirsty when free. Of course the proportion of mice, snails, and 
beetles or other insects in their food will vary according to circum- 
stances, but in any case the insatiable ferocity of the shrews must 
work for man’s benefit. Probably no other mammal, unless it be 
the skunk when on its good behavior, is so uniformly beneficial to the 
* Am. Nat., Vol. XLI., pp. 495-522. 
