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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLI 



down the list, because few were captured; and he found that 

 Blarina farva is more abundant than B. brevicauda. It seems to 

 me that the small number captured is due to the fact that they are 

 underground most of the time, rather than to their rarity. From 

 my own observations, assuming that a pair was present at each 

 nest that was being used, as I found to be the case in two instances, 

 there were at least two pairs to the acre over the region studied. 

 This number should be easily maintained for, according to Rhoads 

 (1903, p. 195), they produce four to six young at a litter, and 

 breed the year round. 



The quantity of food eaten in a month has been estimated as 

 follows: From Table III was computed the quantity of each item 

 which would have been consumed in a month had that article 

 alone been furnished. For example, one month's rations of voles 

 alone would be 20; of house mice, 30; of adult May beedes, 450; 

 and so on. It has already been stated that 130 snails were eaten 

 by one shrew between Mar. 1 and Apr. 31. However, since the 

 moving of the snails by the shrew had practically ceased by Apr, 7, 

 it seems probable that the snails were eaten in a litde over one 

 month. Moreover such other foods as insects, earthworms, and 

 voles were available at the same time, so that the snail diet was not 

 the total. It seems reasonable to assume that 120 snails alone 

 would make one month's rations, since that is more nearly the 

 ecjuivalent of 20 voles. 



The distribution of the dietary amoiiL^ tlic diflVrent articles is 

 largely a matter of judgment, and in Taljlc I\' the (|uantities are 

 based on the relative abundanct> of iho varions items in the swamp 

 region studied. For example, voles were abundant, and have 

 been allowed to constitute 40% of the diet. Earthworms, on the 

 other hand, were comparatively rare in tlie peat of the swamp, 

 and have been allowed but 5%- The table of course rei)rest'nts 

 only a sort of average for the year. Snails are evidently caren in 

 much greater nundxM's during several months of the winter, when 

 the hiseet .Het i^ neee>.arily limited. The snail di<-t i. pn.bahly 



shells, all rnht'i:/r<' tlnim.lr.. id.out ihr oprmnn. .,f Mn.-dl !.urn.\s~- 

 in high land near Lexington. Ky. 'J1ii> wa. probably the work 



