90 COMMON AMERICAN SHREW MOLE. 



destroyer of potatoes, and other vegetables, he might often with great 

 truth plead an alibi. Leconte's pine mouse, (Arvicola pmetormji,) is usu- 

 ally the author of the mischief, whilst all the blame is thrown upon the 

 innocent Shrew Mole. We are, moreover, inclined to think that whilst 

 the earth-worm is the general, it is by no means the only food of the 

 latter, and we had an opportunity of discovering to our cost, that when 

 in captivity, this species relishes other fare. We preserved one in a 

 cage in Carolina, during a winter, for the purpose of ascertaining on 

 what kind of food it was sustained, and whether it became dormant. It 

 at no time touched grains or vegetables ; the lower part of the cage was 

 filled with a foot of moist earth, in which we occasionally placed a pint of 

 earth-worms. It devoured pieces of beef, and for a week was engaged in 

 demolishing a dead pigeon. Until the middle of January we found it 

 every day actively running through the earth in search of worms. Sud- 

 denly however, it seemed to have gone to winter quarters, as we could see 

 no more traces of its customary burrowing. We now carefully searched 

 for it in the box, to ascertain its appearance in a dormant state. But the 

 little creature had forced itself through the wooden bars, and was gone. 

 We examined every part of the room without success, and finally sup- 

 posed it had escaped through the door. The cage of the Mole had been 

 set on a box, full of earth, in which the chrysolides of some sixty or 

 seventy species of rare butterflies, moths, and sphinges, had been carefully 

 deposited. In this box we a few days afterwards heard a noise, and on 

 looking, discovered our little fugitive. On searching for our choice insects 

 we found not one left ; they had all been devoured by the Shrew Mole. 

 He had greatly disappointed us, and had put an end to all our hopes of 

 reading the following spring, a better lesson on entomology than ever 

 could have been taught us — either by Fabricius, Spence, or Kirby. 



We had an opportunity on two difierent occasions of examining the 

 nests and young of the Shrew Mole. The nests were about eight inches 

 below the surface, the excavation was rather large and contained a 

 quantity of oak leaves on the outer surface, lined vwth soft dried leaves of 

 the crab-grass, {Digitaria sanguinalis.) There were galleries leading to 

 this nest, in two or three directions. The young numbered in one case, 

 five, and in another, nine. 



Our kind friend, J. S. Haines, Esq., of Germantown, near Philadelphia, 

 informed us that he once kept several Shrew Moles in confinement for 

 the purpose of investigating their habits, and that having been neglected 

 for a few days, the strongest of them killed and ate up the others ; they 

 also devoured raw meat, especially beef, with great avidity. 



