8 
MAMMALIA. FERA. 
SOEEX. 
duced, and truncated, and the nostrils are narrow. The body is covered 
above with stiff bristles mixed with hair, and below with hair and no bristles. 
The length is about 10 inches, the tail 1 inch. It is found chiefly near hedges 
and thickets of furze, and feeds on snails, slugs, worms, and beetles. It is 
peculiarly serviceable in gardens, which it will speedily clear of such vermin. 
It is fond of the roots of the plantain. It soon becomes tame, and will readily 
devour bread soaked with milk, or pieces of flesh. It seldom breeds in con- 
finement. Its young at birth are blind and naked, concealed in a nest of 
grass, leaves, and moss, and are from four to five in number. The young 
are incapable of rolling themselves up, which in maturity they can do with 
ease when terrified, and then present to a dog or other foe a prickly ball. It 
becomes torpid during the winter, lodging in a dry nest of leaves. It is some- 
times persecuted, faom the foolish belief that it cfimbs up trees and robs them 
of their fruit, or sucks cows and hurts their udders. The skin is sometimes 
fixed on the noses of calves or foals at weaning-time, to prevent them sucking, 
and to irritate the mother. It has likewise been employed to hackle hemp. 
In Scotland, the northern limits of its geographical distribution probably do 
not exceed the Murray Frith. 
Gen. V. SOREX. Sheew. — Two middle incisors above, bent 
and notched at the base. The claws of the British species 
are white. 
9. S. araneus. Common Shrew. — Colour blackish-brown. 
Mus aran. JRay, Syn. Quad. 239 — F, Erd Mouse, Hardy Shrew ; S', Erd 
Shrew ; JV, Llygoden-goch, Chwistlen, Llyg ; G, DauUag. — Frequent 
in old walls and grassy banks. Extends to Orkney. 
The length is about 2| inches; of the tail inches. The toes are plain 
«n the edges. The tail is cylindrical, dark above, light-coloured beneath, and 
dark at the tip. They have five young. Formerly, supposed to be injurious 
to cattle. Numbers of them seem to (fie by disease in August. 
10. ^.Jbdiens. Water Shrew. — Colour raven-black, with a 
small white spot above each eye. 
Mus araneus, dorso nigro ventroque albo, Merr. Pin. 167- — Water Sh. 
Penn. Brit. Zool. i. 126. tab. xi. No. 33 — S. ciliatus, Sowerby^ Brit. 
Misc. tab. xlix. — Water Sh. Mont. Linn. Trans, vii. 276 — Flem. Wern. 
Mem. ii. 238 — Burrows in banks near water, and is not uncommon. 
This species exceeds the former in size. Length of the body 3 inches ; of 
the tail 2 inches. W eight 3 drachms. The colour on the under side inclines 
to white. Snout long, and a little depressed. Whiskers long. Eyes small, 
and concealed by the fur. Ears wide, with a pale tuft on the inside. In the 
middle of the throat and ventral base of the tail a black spot, with a line of the 
same colour along the middle of the belly. Tail tapering, covered with very 
short hair, and nearly white at the tip. Margin of the toes on each side ciliated 
with white hairs. This species swims and dives with considerable facility. 
We have seen it actively employed on the surface of the water, catching the 
Hydrometrad^. Said to bring forth nine young. 
B. Incisors nearly equal. Tuslcs large. 
Gen. TALPA. Mole. Back covered with hair. — Furnished 
with a tail. Incisors in the upper jav/ six, in the lower 
eight. No external ears. The sternum is furnished with 
a mesial crest. Forefeet broad, and fonned for digging. 
