170 THE ZOOLOGIST* 



mouse had been fastened in alive in an auger-hole made in the 



stem as a living tomb When the tree was sawn up 



several spots were revealed, marked by a brownish mass of 

 decaying wood, where the harmless little animal had been thrust 

 in by the superstitious farmers." 



Sorex minutus, L. ; Lesser Shrew. — Not so plentiful as 

 S. araneus, but has probably been greatly overlooked. The first 

 Lesser Shrew recorded from Cheshire was sent to us, in the 

 flesh, on Jan. 24th, 1894, by Mr. Newman Neave, of Kainow, near 

 Macclesfield, whose cat had brought it into the house a day or two 

 previously. This specimen is now in the Owens College Museum, 

 Manchester (N. Neave, Zool. 1894, p. 1 1 ; C. Oldham, ' Naturalist,' 

 1894, p. 130). A pellet of the Barn Owl, obtained at Great Bud- 

 worth in May, 1894, contained one skull of this species and six 

 of S. araneus. A second skull was obtained from an Owl's pellet 

 found in Dunham Park in September, 1894. Mr. Oldfield Thomas, 

 of the British Museum, has kindly confirmed our identification 

 of these two skulls. 



Crossopus fodiens (Pall.) ; Water Shrew. — In the district 

 drained by the rivers Mersey and Bollin this species is decidedly 

 common. Ashley, Baguley, Bowdon, Brooklands, Dunham, Gat- 

 ley, Northenden, and Wythenshawe may be cited as localities. 

 We have also seen it at Chelford, and found its skull in a Barn 

 Owl's pellet from Great Bud worth. Byerley gives one record 

 only, " Taken at Egremont by Mr. R. Abbott." Mr. Newstead 

 names Ince, Elton, and Hatchmere as localities where he has 

 seen it. 



An example described as an Oared Shrew (S. remifer, Geoff.), 

 was taken many years ago at Birkenhead by Mr. Win. Webster, 

 jun., of Upton (Zool. 1848, p. 2009). 



Family Talpid^e. 



Talpa europcea,~L.; Mole; Moudywarp. — Common and widely 

 distributed. Occurs on the high ground in the east of the 

 county, as well as throughout the Cheshire plain. Mr. Newstead 

 mentions having seen " several specimens of a cream-colour with 

 the under parts golden yellow," and there is an example of this 

 variety from Saltney in the Grosvenor Museum, Chester. 



