496 



THE AM i:in( .\.\T( RA list [Vol. xli 



was passed through a spool and bent down at the ends in tlie form 

 of an inverted U. The sharpened ends of tlie wire were tlirust 

 into the ground. The spool was held in such a position that a 

 thread unwound from it could easily i>ass into the burrow. On 

 the reel thus formed were wovnid scvimhI yards of carpet thread, 

 to the end of w4iich a snail was ti(>d l)y means of a hole pierced 

 through its shell just back of ihc lip. The shell was then placed 

 near the opening of the burrow. The thread was marked at 

 intervals so that it would be possible, without lirst (indin<; the shell, 

 to determine how much had been reeled olV. At the next visit to 

 the heaps the thread was found extending into the burrow for 

 about a foot. The shell was still fast to the sirinu'. but had been 

 broken open and the snail was gone. 



Now that I knew where to look for the animal, 1 bcuaii to set 

 traps. At one place there were two laru'c heaps of shells about a 

 meter apart, each near a bin-row desccndinu abinptiv nito the 

 ground. Between these was a well worn path in the snow at tlie 

 surface of the ground. Into this path a steel wire tiap was sunk 

 by digging out a bit of the earth, so that the trig«rer of ilie traj) was 

 on a level with the bottom of the trail. No bait was used. At 



hrrvwauda. Manv of the snails lia<l been rein.)\v<l. sliowino- either 

 that the animal had f.>r some time escaped the trap, or that another 

 shrew luuhaniMl on the w<.,k attu tlu h,M had b<-en < aptmed 



Mv work wa> tluM. ord.^re.l a<v<H-dinu' to the following plan: 

 (], diMoxn a. man^ luap^ of M.aib a. possible in d.llerent 

 situations, an<l to record minutely the chan-es in location of the 

 shells aboNC ground; rl) \. M,on a^ the tio>t had thawed out of 

 the ground, to e\ca\ate the bunow. an.l - an h toi n(M>. To 

 capture in the meantime one or more .^hiew> and eontna- them in 

 the laboratorv; and iA^ To mak. xaiioM^ p^v < holoiiu al Mudies 

 in the laboratory and in the field. 



All mx Ih Id obM n.Mion^ w, 1. mad( ii -n < 1 1 .u amp, a tiact 

 of snails were found, though search was made for them at other 



