412 Frerp Museum or Natura History — Zoétocy, Vor. XI. 
¥ 
Common Shrew (Sorex personatus). 
(About 1% nat. size.) 
the interior and several of the most northern counties including Douglas, 
Iron, Florence, and Vilas. 
This diminutive species usually makes its home under an old log or 
stump or beneath the roots of a tree; sometimes it uses a hole in a fallen 
tree. In open fields and meadows it is often found under haycocks. 
Shrews are both diurnal and nocturnal, but they are so small and 
active they are rarely seen. Probably not one person in a hundred 
has ever seen a dead Shrew and the percentage is very much less for 
those who have seen a live one in its natural haunts. Sometimes a 
hunter, while remaining perfectly still, watching for game, may catch 
a fleeting glimpse of one of these little animals as it hurries across an 
open space among the leaves, but in most cases it would pass unnoticed. 
Dr. C. Hart Merriam says: ‘The naturalist well knows that, however 
cautiously he may walk, the stir of his footsteps puts to flight many 
forms of life that will reappear as soon as quiet is restored; therefore, 
in his excursions through the woods, he waits and watches, frequently 
stopping to listen and observe. While thus occupied it sometimes 
happens that a slight rustling reaches his ear. There is no wind, but 
