1867.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
283 
<C%& y WP 
Shrews or Shrew Mice. 
Among the shrews we find the most minute 
of our native quadrupeds. Some, like one shown 
at the engraving, are not very small. They are 
remarkable for their great shyness and activity, 
and, when seen, are usually mistaken for mice, 
which they some- 
what resemble in i?yk<*\Q ' 
size and form. They f^EgS| j 
are all insect eaters, 
hence should never 
be killed when rec- 
ognized. Several 
of the species bur- 
row, forming exten- 
sive galleries un- 
der ground like the 
mole. They are 
found usually in 
fence rows and old 
stumps,' and about 
moist, boggy mea- 
dows, wherever 
tlieirfood abounds. 
When wounded, 
they emit a strong 
musky odor, which, 
however, does not 
deter hawks and 
owls from swallow- 
ing them, and it is 
from the crops of 
these birds that naturalists obtain some of their 
rarest specimens, as we are informed by Mr. 
John W. Bell, the well known N. Y. taxidermist. 
The largest of the group in the engraving is the 
"mole shrew," (Blarina talpoides,) which is 5 
or 6 inches long, including the tail, which is 
about one inch long. It is found from Nova 
Scotia to Georgia, and westward, probably, to 
the Mississippi Riv- 
er. It is shaped a 
good deal like a 
mole, having no 
visible ears, small 
bright eyes, point- 
ed muzzle, 30 teeth, 
and large fore- 
paws. The fur is of 
a uniform glossy 
slate color, a little 
darker above than 
below. It makes 
burrows, and in its 
habits is like the 
mole. The little 
one above ou the 
right is the "Broad- 
Nosed" or "Long- 
Eared Sinew," (So- 
rex platyrhinus,) 
which ofieu is 
found in theEastern 
States. It is only 
two inches long to 
the tail, which is 
about 1.1 inch long ; 
it weighs about 50 
grains. The ears 
are large, the nose 
flat, but pointed, 
the body chestnut-gray above, and ashy beneath. 
The one opposite is " Forstcr's Shrew," (Sorez 
Forstcri.) a species found along the Atlantic 
coast, and more or less inland. Its tracks are 
often very noticeable in the winter upon the 
snow, and these little creaturea have Ijccu seen 
as far north as the 67th degree of latitude, very 
actively running about when the thermom- 
eter indicated 40° to 50° below zero. Full 
grown individuals are 11 inches long to the tail, 
which measures about an inch and one-third. 
The color is smoky brown, with a pale ash-col- 
ored belly. These animals are now classified in 
GROUP OP SHREW MICE. 
three genera, and although not less than 20 spe- 
cies exist in the United States, yet they are stran- 
gers to most people. Most of them belong to 
the Pacific coast and north-western Territories. 
They are readily distinguished from mice by 
the number and closeness of the teeth, and their 
very sharp pointed noses. We do not know 
that they do any damage, except by burrowing. 
COri'EKUEAD. 
RATTLESNAKE. 
Rattlesnake and Copperhead. 
The common rattlesnake is a sluggish, heavi- 
ly moving, and, except for its rattle and bite, 
mi uninteresting serpent of 3 to 4 feet long. 
It is brown above, light colored beneath, and 
marked with two rows of confluent brown spots 
from its head to near the tail, where the color 
becomes nearly black. The scientific name is 
Crotalus durissus. This one is common to a large 
part of the United States, and there are other 
species in the Southern States, on the prairies, 
and on the great plains. The reputed charm- 
ing power of this 
snake, and proba- 
bly of any snake, is 
a pure fiction. It 
takes its food by 
lying in wait for its 
victims, and killing 
them by its bite. It 
eats squirrels,birds, 
and such small ani- 
mals. When alarm- 
ed, it at once coils 
itself up, vibrates 
the rattle on its tail, 
and, if menaced, 
strikes. The mouth 
is furnished with 
sharp teeth, and 
the upper jaw car- 
ries two long, curv- 
ed, grooved fangs, 
above which are 
little glands, secret- 
ing the poison that 
is ejected simulta- 
neously with the 
bite. The bite so speedily fatal to small ani- 
mals, is not so dangerous to human life as is 
generally believed, for comparatively few cases 
of death to adults or active boys occur, though 
it is not very uncommon to hear of persons 
being bitten ; still the bite is accompanied by 
much suffering. When a person is bitten, his 
own mouth or that of a companion should be 
at once applied, 
and the venom 
sucked out if pos- 
sible, (when swal- 
lowed, it is harm- 
less). A poultice of 
wet tobacco should 
be applied if noth- 
ing better is at hand, 
and the patient kept 
thoroughly under 
the influence of al- 
coholic stimulants, 
(even drunk). The 
rattles are formed 
by a succession of 
loose, horny shells, 
of such a shape 
that, though each is 
entirely loose from 
the others, it can- 
not become detach- 
ed, unless broken. 
The number of rut 
ties does not indi- 
cate the age, for 
one to four are add- 
ed in a year, and 
often some are lost. 
The rattlesnake 
never pursues, and 
it is very seldom that men not fool-hardy 
or utterly careless are bitten by them. 
"The Copperhead," [Anctstrodon contortm^ 
is, next to the rattlesnake, tin- most venomous of 
our serpents, but more dangerous, as it gives no 
warning of its presence or ahum, as the other 
