﻿426 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  determine 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  interesting 
  points. 
  Shrews 
  moult 
  twice 
  in 
  the 
  

   year 
  — 
  spring 
  and 
  autumn 
  — 
  though 
  the 
  former 
  moult 
  is 
  not 
  complete, 
  

   and 
  consists 
  of 
  shedding 
  only 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  fur. 
  The 
  first 
  moult 
  takes 
  

   place 
  in 
  April, 
  and 
  by 
  June 
  they 
  have 
  put 
  on 
  their 
  summer 
  coat. 
  The 
  

   second 
  moult 
  takes 
  place 
  in 
  September, 
  and 
  by 
  November 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  

   full 
  winter 
  coat. 
  In 
  colour 
  Shrews 
  vary 
  exceedingly, 
  and 
  the 
  British 
  

   Museum 
  possesses 
  specimens 
  from 
  white 
  to 
  nearly 
  black. 
  White 
  

   patches 
  on 
  the 
  brown 
  fur 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  some 
  

   with 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  tail 
  white. 
  The 
  winter 
  coat 
  is 
  much 
  darker 
  than 
  

   the 
  summer 
  one, 
  and 
  this 
  I 
  put 
  clown 
  to 
  the 
  sun, 
  not 
  being 
  strong 
  at 
  

   that 
  time 
  of 
  year, 
  and 
  not 
  bleaching 
  them. 
  This 
  year 
  (1904), 
  whilst 
  

   trapping 
  Field-Mice, 
  Voles, 
  and 
  small 
  mammals 
  generally 
  for 
  my 
  

   collection, 
  I 
  was 
  often 
  surprised 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  Mouse 
  in 
  the 
  trap 
  which 
  had 
  

   been 
  half-devoured 
  by 
  some 
  other 
  animal. 
  This 
  puzzled 
  me 
  for 
  some 
  

   time 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  did 
  the 
  mischief, 
  until 
  I 
  found 
  it 
  out 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  

   a 
  Shrew. 
  That 
  these 
  little 
  animals 
  are 
  carnivorous 
  in 
  their 
  tastes 
  is, 
  

   I 
  believe, 
  well 
  known, 
  and 
  the 
  late 
  Frank 
  Buckland 
  tells 
  of 
  one, 
  in 
  his 
  

   book, 
  ' 
  Curiosities 
  of 
  Natural 
  History,' 
  which 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  

   capturing 
  a 
  Frog. 
  They 
  are 
  very 
  sensitive, 
  and 
  easily 
  killed 
  from 
  

   shock, 
  as 
  I 
  can 
  vouch. 
  Wishing 
  one 
  year 
  to 
  procure 
  living 
  specimens, 
  

   I 
  set 
  the 
  old-fashioned 
  wooden 
  Mouse-trap, 
  but 
  always 
  found 
  the 
  

   Shrews 
  dead 
  in 
  them, 
  and 
  suppose 
  they 
  died 
  from 
  pure 
  fright. 
  — 
  

   Gordon 
  Dalgliesh 
  (29, 
  Larkfield 
  Koad, 
  Richmond, 
  Surrey). 
  

  

  Notes 
  on 
  Albinism 
  and 
  Melanism 
  in 
  Mammalia. 
  — 
  Why 
  is 
  it 
  

   animals 
  " 
  off 
  colour," 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  are 
  nearly 
  always 
  smaller 
  than 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  normal 
  colour 
  '? 
  For 
  instance, 
  the 
  black 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  

   Water-Vole 
  (Microtas 
  amphiblus) 
  is, 
  I 
  have 
  always 
  found, 
  much 
  smaller 
  

   than 
  the 
  ordinary 
  form, 
  though 
  I 
  know 
  this 
  species 
  varies 
  considerably 
  

   in 
  size 
  ; 
  nevertheless, 
  the 
  black 
  form 
  is 
  nearly 
  always 
  small. 
  I 
  have 
  a 
  

   specimen 
  of 
  this, 
  and, 
  though 
  fully 
  adult, 
  it 
  only 
  measures, 
  head 
  and 
  

   body, 
  152 
  mm., 
  and 
  the 
  ordinary 
  form 
  ranges 
  from 
  185 
  to 
  214 
  mm. 
  

   Again, 
  albinos— 
  or, 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  correct, 
  white 
  specimens 
  — 
  are 
  almost 
  

   invariably 
  females, 
  and 
  very 
  much 
  smaller 
  than 
  ordinary 
  coloured 
  

   specimens. 
  I 
  drew 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  readers 
  of 
  ' 
  The 
  Zoologist' 
  to 
  this 
  

   in 
  a 
  former 
  note 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  Stoat 
  and 
  Weasel. 
  Albinism 
  is 
  

   not 
  uncommon 
  in 
  the 
  Hedgehog 
  {Erinacem 
  europcBits); 
  Shrew 
  {Sorex 
  

   araneus), 
  and 
  Mole 
  (Talpa 
  europaa), 
  and 
  tbese, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  are 
  below 
  the 
  

   average 
  size. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  reason 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  weakness 
  or 
  disease, 
  but 
  

   this 
  wants 
  investigating, 
  and 
  I 
  sball 
  be 
  glad 
  if 
  any 
  naturalist 
  can 
  throw 
  

   any 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  matter. 
  — 
  Gordon 
  Dalgliesh 
  (29, 
  Larkfield 
  Road, 
  

   Richmond, 
  Surrey). 
  

  

  