238 Scraps in Natural History. 



succeeded in pushing the covering to one side, and escaped. 

 The book and the bone together weighed on trial upwards of a 

 pound ; and, considering the mechanical disadvantages of a 

 smooth, glassy surface, and of the rampant position of the shrew 

 while effecting his liberation, this achievement indicated a de- 

 gree of strength that surpassed my expectations. Having reta- 

 ken the little prisoner, I confined him to a box, well provided 

 with masses of rotten wood, paper and other materials. As soon 

 as I turned him into his new habitation, he hastened to the bot- 

 tom of the box, and commenced making a new, and to him more 

 satisfactory, arrangement of the smaller pieces of wood and other 

 fragments scattered below; his object appearing more particularly 

 to be, to block up the larger openings around him. This task he 

 accomplished with much skill, first dragging and fitting the larger 

 pieces to the apertures, and then filling up the interstices with 

 fragments of smaller size ; after this he crumbled with his teeth 

 the projecting and more accessible parts, and the powder falling 

 into the remaining spaces completed a hiding place. Having 

 thus barricaded his retreat, and otherwise strengthened his fron- 

 tier, he spent some time in reconnoitering the more central 

 parts, and appeared to run with great delight, in the most lively 

 manner, through all the windings and irregularities of his new 

 abode, peeping out in rapid succession, and snuffing the air, 

 at the various holes he had left for egress and ingress. It was 

 quite entertaining, during these incessant motions, to listen to his 

 seemingly gleeful rushes through his tortuous apartments, and to 

 watch with pleasing uncertainty the various orifices, to see at 

 which he would next thrust out his nose. After having thus fa- 

 miliarized himself to the different routes by which he might re- 

 treat in case of danger, he began to snatch and jerk into the inte- 

 rior such portions of paper and rags as were nearest at hand ; 

 these I afterward found he cut into small pieces, and formed into 

 a neat little bed. 



These preparatory employments being over, he began to pro- 

 trude his body with great caution from a hole which appeared to 

 be a favorite outlet, but started back with the utmost precipita- 

 tion upon the slightest noise, and in a moment after he would 

 slily peep out at some other opening. At length, having ventured 

 entirely out, he seized a large earth-worm which I had thrown 

 into the box, the very instant it was perceived, and in spite 



