﻿MAMMALIA. 
  

  

  45 
  

  

  Aberdeen, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  parishes 
  on 
  the 
  Don. 
  In 
  some 
  

   parts 
  of 
  Formartine 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  abundant, 
  and 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  

   has 
  extended 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  over 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  Buchan." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  St. 
  Fergus 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  

   N. 
  S. 
  A. 
  of 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  1843, 
  p. 
  189, 
  it 
  is 
  said: 
  "About 
  three 
  

   years 
  ago, 
  the 
  Hedgehog, 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  before 
  known 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  a 
  locum 
  tenens 
  in 
  the 
  district, 
  was 
  discovered 
  in 
  

   St. 
  Fergus 
  on 
  the 
  farm 
  of 
  Nether-hill." 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  publi- 
  

   cation, 
  under 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Alford, 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  

   Hedgehog 
  appeared 
  "about 
  fifteen 
  years 
  ago." 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  

   noted 
  for 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Chapel 
  of 
  Garioch, 
  and 
  for 
  those 
  of 
  

   Logie- 
  Buchan, 
  Lumphanan, 
  and 
  Leochel-Cushnie. 
  

  

  This 
  inoffensive 
  animal 
  is 
  generally 
  distributed 
  all 
  over 
  

   "Dee," 
  but 
  is 
  doomed 
  to 
  early 
  extinction,, 
  for 
  a 
  war 
  of 
  exter- 
  

   mination 
  is 
  being 
  waged 
  against 
  it 
  by 
  game 
  preservers. 
  

  

  Family 
  TALPIDiE. 
  

  

  Genus 
  TALPA, 
  Linn. 
  

  

  Talpa 
  europoea, 
  Linn. 
  Mole. 
  

   Abundant 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  district. 
  

  

  Family 
  SORICHLE. 
  

   Genus 
  SOBEX. 
  

   Sorex 
  araneus, 
  Linn. 
  Common 
  Shrew. 
  "Thraw 
  Mouse." 
  

  

  Common 
  everywhere, 
  and 
  often 
  found 
  dead 
  upon 
  the 
  

   paths, 
  heaths, 
  and 
  waysides. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  subject 
  to 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  variation 
  in 
  size 
  ; 
  in 
  many 
  localities 
  it 
  is 
  above 
  the 
  

   average, 
  with 
  the 
  feet 
  white, 
  while 
  in 
  others 
  it 
  is 
  small 
  and 
  

   of 
  an 
  almost 
  uniform 
  dark 
  grey 
  all 
  over. 
  Others 
  are 
  dark 
  

   above, 
  with 
  the 
  under 
  parts 
  light 
  grey; 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  in 
  my 
  

   possession 
  a 
  specimen 
  having 
  large 
  patches 
  of 
  white 
  over 
  the 
  

   sides 
  and 
  back. 
  Formerly 
  it 
  was 
  subjected 
  to 
  much 
  perse- 
  

   cution 
  by 
  the 
  rural 
  inhabitants, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  

   "Thraw 
  Mouse" 
  was 
  allowed 
  to 
  run 
  round 
  the 
  feet 
  or 
  hands 
  

   the 
  limbs 
  would 
  lose 
  their 
  power 
  for 
  ever 
  afterwards. 
  It 
  was 
  

   also 
  supposed 
  to 
  cause 
  death 
  to 
  cattle, 
  should 
  it 
  come 
  in 
  

   contact 
  with 
  them. 
  

  

  D 
  

  

  