GENEKAL NOTES 
35 
Sidney, B. C,, Mrs. R. A. Kingman, Wallingford, Vermont, and Mrs. 
Wm. M. Everall, Victoria, B. C. His eldest son and lifelong assistant 
Mr. James M. Macoun died at Ottawa in January, 1920. 
Victoria Memorial Mmeum^ Dept of Mines, Ottawa, Canada, 
GENERAL NOTES 
NOTES ON THE HABITS OP BLAEINA BBBVICAUDA 
While I was in camp at Lake Missanag, Ontario, in August and September, 
1919, two short-tailed shrews {Blarina brevicauda) came about the tent frequently, 
and I was able to learn something of the habits of these usually rather elusive 
little mammals. 
They were active both by day and night. By day they, avoided brightly 
lighted spots, traveling to the tent under the cover of dead leaves, herbs, and 
logs; and passing over open places like a flash. In the tent they kept mostly 
close to the side-walls, or to the pile of wood beside the stove. They were cease- 
lessly active, never resting for a moment unless engaged in eating something. 
They kept up a continual, rather musical, chirping squeak, which resembled 
very strongly the twitter of American goldfinches. This ‘‘song” of theirs was 
loud enough that we could hear them coming some time before they entered the 
tent. 
The Blarinas fed on insects, both living and dead. They caught and con- 
sumed all the crickets {Gryllus assimilis and Nemobius fasciatus) which pre- 
viously had been common under the sod-cloth along the base of the walls of the 
tent, and also devoured any dead insects which I had rejected after killing in the 
cyanide bottle. On one occasion I saw one of them jump repeatedly at a sphinx 
larva which was suspended on a dead poplar twig a few inches above the ground, 
and at last succeed in pulling it down and into a tunnel in the dried grass. They 
ate with avidity anything of an animal nature, including pieces of salty chipped 
beef, and their particular delight was to get into the frying-pan and feed on the 
cold fat which it contained. So engrossed did they become in their gormandizing 
of this fat that they paid no heed to my presence and several times I took up the 
pan and walked about with it while they were thus engaged. They were not at 
all expert climbers and it was quite a feat for them to clamber over the high edge 
of the frying-pan. Once on top of the edge they tumbled in head-first. 
In hunting for food they seemed to depend entirely on their sense of smell, 
and when thus prospecting they wriggled their long pink snouts continuously 
and inserted them into every nook and crevice. They appeared to use their 
eyes merely in avoiding well-lighted situations. — A. Brookbr Klugh, Queen’s 
University, Kingston, Canada. 
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY, ¥OL. 2, NO. 
