. A history of British mammals . nests suggests that the animal makes noburrow, but utilises existing hollows. A Pygmy Shrew was taken alive in county Wexford, froma similar nest of dried grass, in a cavity of a loose-stone showed neither fear nor ill-will, and fed freely on spiders,flies, and wood-lice, darting about after them with greatactivity. It seemed to make much use of its long, trunk-like nose, which was its most noticeable feature, and whichcontinually quivered and trembled with the utmost seemed to be too large for it, and a big spider defendeditself with
. A history of British mammals . nests suggests that the animal makes noburrow, but utilises existing hollows. A Pygmy Shrew was taken alive in county Wexford, froma similar nest of dried grass, in a cavity of a loose-stone showed neither fear nor ill-will, and fed freely on spiders,flies, and wood-lice, darting about after them with greatactivity. It seemed to make much use of its long, trunk-like nose, which was its most noticeable feature, and whichcontinually quivered and trembled with the utmost seemed to be too large for it, and a big spider defendeditself with success from all attacks. Smaller insects were seizedwithout apparent method and munched rapidly, and certainlynot less than seven or eight were consumed one after the its provision at night a number of wood-lice were caughtand placed in its box, and by morning all except one hadbeen eaten, and the shrew lay dead, probably from want ofwater. In the midst of all its activity the little beast tookconstant short naps. , 1. OHt/3 XH THE PYGMY OR LESSER SHREW 121 Regarding the care of shrews in captivity, Mr A, H. Cockswrites me that he knows of no practical way of trapping themalive, for though they will probably go into almost any form oflive trap, a few minutes detention therein is fatal, in a ratiovarying with the size of the species. Pygmy Shrews I have never kept alive, because the transitfrom field to cage in a mans hand, even if it is only a few hundredyards, is either immediately fatal, or is so within the next houror two. I frequently, provide a tin with ventilation holespunched, when hay or other field work is in progress (especiallywhen mangolds or swedes are being taken from a clamp), butno shrew is caught that day, or the next, and when at last oneis captured, the tin is not forthcoming. With Common Shrews, which are so very much morenumerous, as well as stronger, I do from time to time get onealive into a cage, but a rather large proportion die during the en
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmammals, bookyear1910
