Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/157

SHREW. 123 SHBIKE. quadruped of the family SoricidiE, and especially of tlio yeiius Sorcx^ which includes the smallest cf all mammals. The shrews are often con- founded with mice, but belong to an entirely dif- ferent order, the Insectivora (([.v.). The head is very long; the snout elongated, attenuated, and capable of being moved about. The eyes are minute, the ears small, the tail long, and both bod.v and tail are covered with fine, short hair of a dark color without distinctive variegations. The}' abound in dry fields, woods, and gardens, and some species are semi-aquatic. They feed chiefly upon insects and worms, especially earth- worms; and, as they are able to obtain food at all seasons of the year, they do not hibernate. The northern species are among the hardiest of animals, ranging far toward the Arctic regions, and abroad during all winter. Jlost species make no burrows, but grul) about among the roots of the herbage, make long runways beneath the fallen leaves, and hide in old stumps and beneath rotting logs. They are common and use- ful in gardens. The males are excessively pug- nacious, and fight fiercely in spring, often killing one another. They form the prey of weasels, foxes, hawks, owls, shrikes, and raan.y other ani- mals, and are frequently caught by household cats, but seldom eaten by them, jirobably on ac- count of their strong mvisky odor. Although Iiarmless, this animal has long been regarded with dread and hatred by the peasantry of Eu- rope, who believe it to be poisonous, and attrib- ute to it other evils. The numerous American species of shrews fall into three genera, Sorex, Ncosorex, and Blarina. The largest of these is the swamp-havmting water-shrew, which is six inches in length, including the tail ; it is found from Massachusetts to the Rocky Jlountains, and northward. Of the other American shrews, the one most common in the Eastern United States is the 'short-tailed' or "mole' shrew ( Blarina brevi- Cauda). This is a blackish, stout-bodied, ravenous little animal, which feeds largely upon flesh of every kind, and often kills the young of small birds. It takes its name of mole-shrew on ac- count of its unusual habit of frequently forcing its way through the loose top-soil like a mole. Perhaps the best known American form, how- ever, is the long-tailed 'shrew mouse' (.Vore.c prrsonatiis) , which is smaller, lighter in color, and most numerous about marshes and streams. An Italian shrew is the smallest of all known mammals, having a body only an inch and a half in length. It is a member of the genus Croci- diira, which also includes the largest known shrew, one Oriental species of which is that known in India as the 'muskrat' ( q.v. ) . Con- sult standard zoologies, especially Beddard, Mam- malia (London, 1902) ; Stone and Cram, Ameri- can Anininls (New York, 1902). SHREW-MOLE. Any of the American moles of the genera Scapanus and Scalops. See Mole. SHREWS'BURY. The capital of Shropshire, England, on the Severn, by which it is nearly surrounded. 42 miles west by north of Birming- ham, and 103 miles north-northwest of London (Map: England. D 4). The town, irregular in plan, contains many ancient timber-built houses of picturesque appearance. Saint Mary's Church was founded in the tenth century. There are a market-house (1595), the shire hall (rebuilt 1883), and the new market hall (1868). The Vol. XVIII.— 9. town ha.s interesting remains of ancient walls, a castle, two monasteries, and a Benedictine abbey. It has manufactures of agricultural implements and linen thread, iron foundries, glass-staining works, and malting establishments, and a large trade in cattle. Shrewsbury, called by the Welsh Pengwern, was named by the Anglo-Saxons Scrohhcs-liyrig, of which the modern name is a corruption. The town was taken by Llewellyn the Great. Prince of Xorth Wales, in 1215, during the troubles be- tween King John and the barons; and in July, 1403, Henry IV. here defeated the insurgent Percy with great slaughter. Henry Hotspur being among the slain. The battle is described in Shakespeare's H< iirii /V. The town was taken bv the Parliamentarians in 1(145. Po])ulation, ii'i 1S!)1, 2(i.!Hi7; in 1901, 28,400. Consult: Pidgeon, Hint(irical Handbook of Hhrewsbury (Shrewsbury. 1857); Philli])s, Shrewsbury Dur- iiiy the Cicil War (Shrewsbury, 1898). SHREWSBURY, Earls and Duke of. See T.VLUOT. SHREWSBURY SCHOOL. A public school at Shrewsbury. Englaiui. founded by King Edward VI. in 1551 and opened in 1502. Its scope was largelj' increased Iv Queen Elizabeth. Under the vigorous administration of Dr. Samuel Butler (1774-1839) it attained a great reputation as a classical school. It has an endowment which is now producing more than £3000 a year. In 1882 it was removed to the new buildings erected on a site covering 58 acres. The attendance since its removal to the new buildings has increased from 170 to more than 300. SHRIKE (AS. scrlc, Icel. skrilcja, shrike, from skrikja, to shriek, titter; connected with Gk. Kpl^eiv, krizein. to creak). A predatory, insectivorous bird of the family Laniida', having a short, thick, and compressed bill, the upper mandible curved, hooked at the tip, and fur- nished with a prominent tooth, the base of the bill beset with hairs, which point forward. About 200 species are known, most of them natives of warm climates. The typical shrikes or 'butcher-birds' are those of the subfamily Laniinip, which are mainly in- habitants of northern countries, and closely re- semble one another in size (9 to 11 inches in total length), colors (pearl-gray and white, set oil' with black markings on the face, wings, and tail), and in boldness and rapacity. Two species inhabit North America. These birds prey main- ly on large insects, especially grasshoppers, in summer, but also on small mammals, birds, young snakes, frogs, and crayfish. Those they do not eat at once they impale on thorns, splin- ters of fences, and the like; and in confinement they make use of a nail for this purpo.se, or stick portions of their food between the wires of the cage. The German peasants believe that nine such victims are regularly accumulated by each bird, and call a shrike 'nine-killer.' The prac- tice originated, probably, in an eft'ort on the part of the birds to fix their food firmly while tearing it to pieces ; and it is not properly speak- ing a storage of food, since in many cases the bodies are not again touched. Large numbers of mice and English sparrows are killed in winter, so that the bird is a public benefactor. The typical European species is the great gray or sen- tinel shrike (Lanius excubitor) . The common