380 
NOTES TO THE 
Josey, hey, jim along, jim along Joe." He would sing at any 
time at comnaand. Mr. Searle, my secretary, says he heard a 
blackbird in the Mile-end Eoad, whistle the principal parts of the 
" Huntsman's Chorus " 
If anyone wishes to try the experiment of training a black- 
bird they must raise one or two young ones from the nest. As 
a rule two out of three will take the song taught them. The 
blackbird is a very pugnacious bird, and this is a drawback to 
his being kept in an aviary with other small birds. 
Little AVater Shrew {Sorcx^ fodiens), p. 91. — " Little 
Eod" writes in Land and, Water: — "It would, I am sure, 
gratify you to see a brood of these elegant little animals dis- 
porting themselves in the water. ' It frequents ditches and 
brooks, in the banks of which it makes extensive burrows. It 
swims and dives with much address, the sides being spread 
out, the belly flattened, and the tail extended as a rudder. 
When diving, the black glossy coat of tlie animal appears as 
if beautifully frosted over with silver, from the innumerable 
bubbles of air that cover it/ The above quotation is from the 
' Museurii of Animated J^ature.' I have good reason to believe 
that the water shrew, though seldom seen except by some keen- 
sighted naturalist, especially one of angling proclivities, is not 
particularly scarce. I have frequently noticed it of late years 
in various parts of Cumberland. During the very droughty 
summer of 1868, when a brook which ran through a neigh- 
bour's garden was dried up, all but a little pool here and there, 
I was much amused by watching a couple of them as they 
stealthily left the overhanging bank and ran to the pool, sip- 
ping a few drops in haste, and then scurrying away to their 
stronghold, as if astounded at their temerity in exposing them- 
selves to the gaze of one who certainly entertained no hostile 
intentions towards such harmless little creatures." 
These little creatures eat insects and fish ; their teeth are very 
beautiful. I once dissected a water shrews The stomach and intes- 
tines contained some dark fluid pulp-like matter. This I examined 
under the microscope and found to be composed almost entirely 
of the horny cases and legs of minute w^ater-insects. 
The Shkeav Mouse, p. 199. — White here mentions the shrew 
mouse. These little things are often found dead without any 
apparent mark of injury ; some say that the cats kill them, but 
will not eat them. 
According to Mr. Davy's experience, shrew mice are silly 
things ; they get into diy ditches and cart-ruts, then run up 
