neosorex palustris

Shrew \Shrew\, n. [See {Shrew}, a.]
   1. Originally, a brawling, turbulent, vexatious person of
      either sex, but now restricted in use to females; a
      brawler; a scold.
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            A man . . . grudgeth that shrews [i. e., bad men]
            have prosperity, or else that good men have
            adversity.                            --Chaucer.
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            A man had got a shrew to his wife, and there could
            be no quiet in the house for her.     --L'Estrange.
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   2. [AS. scre['a]wa; -- so called because supposed to be
      venomous. ] (Zool.) Any small insectivore of the genus
      {Sorex} and several allied genera of the family
      {Sorecidae}. In form and color they resemble mice, but
      they have a longer and more pointed nose. Some of them are
      the smallest of all mammals.
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   Note: The common European species are the house shrew
         ({Crocidura araneus}), and the erd shrew ({Sorex
         vulgaris}) (see under {Erd}.). In the United States
         several species of {Sorex} and {Blarina} are common, as
         the broadnosed shrew ({Sorex platyrhinus}), Cooper's
         shrew ({Sorex Cooperi}), and the short-tailed, or mole,
         shrew ({Blarina brevicauda}). Th American water, or
         marsh, shrew ({Neosorex palustris}), with fringed feet,
         is less common. The common European water shrews are
         {Crossopus fodiens}, and the oared shrew (see under
         {Oared}).
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   {Earth shrew}, any shrewlike burrowing animal of the family
      {Centetidae}, as the tendrac.

   {Elephant shrew}, {Jumping shrew}, {Mole shrew}. See under
      {Elephant}, {Jumping}, etc.

   {Musk shrew}. See {Desman}.

   {River shrew}, an aquatic West African insectivore
      ({Potamogale velox}) resembling a weasel in form and size,
      but having a large flattened and crested tail adapted for
      rapid swimming. It feeds on fishes.

   {Shrew mole}, a common large North American mole ({Scalops
      aquaticus}). Its fine, soft fur is gray with iridescent
      purple tints.
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Water shrew \Wa"ter shrew`\ (Zool.)
   Any one of several species of shrews having fringed feet and
   capable of swimming actively. The two common European species
   ({Crossopus fodiens}, and {Crossopus ciliatus}) are the best
   known. The most common American water shrew, or marsh shrew
   ({Neosorex palustris}), is rarely seen, owing to its
   nocturnal habits.
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