they were
parted. One I put into a zinc fern case, and the other into a large
empty aquarium, with shingle at the bottom, moss and wool for bedding,
and a large pan of water for swimming and bathing.

They were rather larger than the common mouse, jet black above, and
greyish-white beneath--restless, active creatures, usually found near
ponds and ditches; and how ever these two had found their way into a dry
cellar, and lived in a box of straw will always remain a mystery. I
learnt from books that they fed on worms and insects, and that diet was
provided, though much to my distress, for it is a miserable thing to see
any living creature tortured and devoured alive, even though it may be
in obedience to natural instincts. Happily I soon found a substitute. I
was showing one of the shrews to a fellow-student of natural history,
and with a long feather soon attracted the little animal's attention; he
always came out of his bed and sprang upon the feather like a little
tiger, dragging it about and holding on with the grip of a bull-dog, so
that one could lift him off the ground and keep him swinging a minute in
the air to see the pretty white fur underneath. My friend suggested that
it probably fed on small birds and thought the feather was part of its
daily fare.

I obtained a fowl's head from the larder, and then it was a sight to see
how it was pounced upon and dragged about until securely hidden under
the moss, when we could hear our little friend crunching the bones and
tearing it to pieces as if he had not had anything so good for a long
while.

One shrew died in a few days, but the other lived three weeks in perfect
health, and I believe it was an accidental failure of sufficient food
that led to the death of the second; their appetite seems to be, like
that of the mole, most voracious, and unless they obtain a constant and
ample supply of food they quickly die of hunger.

They are worth studying for a few days, but their dreadful odour and
fierce character make them anything but pets. I suppose there is hardly
any animal in England so fierce and combative, and probably that may
account for the fact that one so often comes across a dead shrew lying
on the path in summer.

When swimming, the shrew's furry coat perfectly resisted the entrance of
moisture; it always came out absolutely dry. The said coat was most
carefully kept in order; a daily brushing and cleansing went on, the
little tongue was often at work