Quadrupeds. 2009 



able time and labour on the part of the old rat to have dragged the eels thither." — 

 Lancaster Guardian. 



Occurrence of the Oared Shrew at Birkenhead. — Having captured some little time 

 since a species of Sorex which was new to me, I find, on an accurate comparison, that 

 it agrees exactly with the description of the oared shrew (Sorex remifer) described in 

 Bell's excellent work on British Quadrupeds ; and thinking it may be interesting to 

 some of the readers of your instructive periodical to hear of a new locality, far from 

 any other yet mentioned, showing the more general distribution of the animal, I take 

 the liberty of sending you this short notice. It was captured by me apparently hunt- 

 ing for food, amongst dead leaves, at some little distance from the water, in a planta- 

 tion through which there is a running ditch in connexion with a small pond, and is 

 now in my possession, carefully preserved. — Wm. Webster, jun. ; Upton, Birkenhead, 

 December 24, 1847. 



Moles destructive to Wireworms. — The ' Essex Herald ' publishes a letter from the 

 Rev. G. Wilkins to a farmer, who wrote to him, inquiring how the wireworm had been 

 exterminated on the reverend gentleman's land : — " Some ten years since, when I came 

 to my living, and commenced cultivating the little land I hold, it was, I may say, full 

 of wireworms. Nothing could have been worse, for my crops were, in some places, 

 ruined by them entirely. What, then, did I do ? I adopted a plan which I recom- 

 mended and published in periodicals many years since, namely, encouraging moles 

 and partridges on my lands. Instead of permitting a mole to be caught, I bought all 

 I could, and turned them down alive ; and soon my fields, one after another, were full 

 of mole-hills, to the amusement of all my neighbours, who, at first, set me down for 

 half a lunatic ; but now several adopt my plan, and are strenuous advocates of it. 

 My fields became exactly like a honeycomb ; and this continued even among my 

 standing and growing and ripening crops ; not a mole was molested, but I still bought 

 more. This summer I had fourteen brought, which I turned down, but they were not 

 wanted ; I have nothing for them to eat — all that moles live upon is destroyed — and 

 so, poor things, they must starve or emigrate to some distant lands, and thus get bow- 

 stringed by savage men, whom they aim to serve. Adopt my plan, and it will be 

 sure to answer. If you have a nest of partridges, also encourage them ; all the sum- 

 mer they live on insects, on wireworms, &c. ; and consider how many millions a covey 

 will destroy in a single summer. Again, always remember that moles feed upon in- 

 sects, and of which the wireworm is the chief; if you doubt this, open a mole and 

 peep into his stomach. Again, do not fear that moles injure your crops either in a 

 field or in a garden ; it is a low and vulgar error to suppose that they root up young 

 corn ; they never go anywhere until the wireworms have first destroyed the plants, and 

 then, innocent things, they are punished for others' faults ! If you do not like to see 

 their hills, knock them about with a hoe, as I did ; it is a healthful amusement, and 

 they will do your lands good. Do not despise my plan because the farmers will not 

 adopt it in your neighbourhood : farmers adopt nothing till driven to it, and nothing 

 that is new and good." 



