The tiny mammal with a big appetite
by Christine Smith from on (#S27F)
South Uist The shrew makes a swift-footed bustling sprint of a metre or so and then comes to an abrupt halt
When my husband calls me to the window, I can't work out what it is about the motionless dark brown object on the lawn that has attracted his attention. It's only partly visible among the blades of grass and seems to be about the size of an unshelled walnut.
I'm about to ask when the shrew, for that is what it turns out to be, bursts into action. It makes a swift-footed bustling sprint of a metre or so and then comes to an abrupt halt, snout down in the short grass, posterior raised in the air, as it seizes whatever prey it has found.
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