PERFUMING SHREW. 
five toes on each foot. The head resembles 
that of the Mole; being thick at the fore- 
head, much elongated, and ending in a conical 
snout. The eyes are also very small. In 
other circumstances of general figure, they 
resemble the murine tribe of quadrupeds. 
They burrow in the ground. Some species 
live chiefly about the sides cf waters, and most 
of them feed on worms and inserts. They 
have, in general, a strong smell. Even the 
Common Slirew Mouse, according to Buifon, 
has a scrong and very peculiar odour ; which is 
so disagreeable to the Cats, that though they pur- 
sue and kill the Shrew:s, they never eat them. 
Bufton, with his usual prejudice, ventures 
to assert, " that the Shrev^'s, which are very 
common in Europe, do not seem*' to exist 
in America:" yet it is well knov,'n that there 
are several species which are natives of the 
new world. Of tijcse, he only notices the 
Brasilian Shrew; observing, ti.at " ic is larger, 
and appears to be a different species." W'e 
agree, that the species may be different, but 
the genus is undoubtedly the same. 
The 
