170 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



butterflies ; in this it showed itself more discriminating than most 

 birds I experimented with, these usually eating the " warningly- 

 coloured " kinds unless other butterflies were offered as well. As, how- 

 ever, the Tupaia always smelt the butterflies before eating them, it 

 evidently was not impressed by the colour. This specimen lived 

 peaceably with a tame Dove, but Tupaias are said to eat the young of 

 birds in the wild state. Although they are such nice little animals, they 

 are seldom seen in captivity ; only two species have been exhibited at 

 the London Zoological Gardens, and those a good many years ago. 



THE SHREWS 



The Shrews {Soricidce) are the most widely distributed and numerous family of the 

 Insectivora; they are closely related to the Moles, but in appearance closely 

 resemble the Mice among the rodents, just as the Tupaias do the Squirrels. In 

 fact, they are often called Shrew-Mice, but a Shrew can always be distinguished 

 from a Mouse by its long nose, minute eyes, which are hardly noticeable, and by 

 the presence of canine teeth. Shrews live upon the ground, and feed on insects 

 and such small prey ; they are ravenous and ferocious little creatures, and will 

 fight to the death at times. We have three species of them in Great Britain. 



THE COMMON SHREW 



(Sorex araneus) 



This little creature resembles a Mouse in colour as well as in size, being brown ; 

 it is the best known of our species, and very widely distributed, being found all 

 round the world in the North, in Europe, Asia, and North America. With us, 

 however, it displays one curious limitation in its distribution — it is not found in 

 Ireland. It is active both by day and night, and subject to some unknown cause of 

 mortality in autumn, when many are found lying about dead. 



THE PIGMY SHREW 



{Sorex minutus) 



The Pigmy Shrew is a pigmy indeed, being less than half the size of the Common 

 Shrew, but very similar in colour. It is not found in the New World, but is as 

 widely distributed as the Common Shrew in Europe and Asia, and is found in 

 Ireland as well as in Great Britain, though it is not so common in the latter country 

 as the Common Shrew. 



