sufficiently large or powerful to inflict such wounds, and none of the birds, reptiles, or amphibians has a dentition capable of producing them. The wood mouse (_Peromyscus leucopus_) is the most abundant small mammal in the skink's habitat; other rodents present in relatively small numbers include the prairie vole (_Microtus ochrogaster_), harvest mouse (_Reithrodontomys megalotis_) and pine vole (_Microtus pinetorum_). Both voles and harvest mice have been known to kill skinks caught in the same traps with them, but individuals experimentally placed with skinks in captivity have failed to molest them and it seems likely that the attacks in traps were motivated by extreme hunger or self defense. The irregular scars from lacerated wounds characteristic of the skinks bear little similarity to rodent bites, in which the long, sharp-edge incisors make slit-like punctures. Other small mammals abundant in the places where skinks were studied were the insectivores: the common mole, short-tailed shrew, and least shrew (_Cryptotis parva_). On one occasion when a large five-lined skink was put in a terrarium with a recently captured short-tailed shrew, each displayed strong aversion for the other. The skink crouched, attempting to conceal itself in the end of the terrarium farthest from the shrew, and resisted efforts to drive it toward the shrew. In exploring the terrarium the shrew several times sensed the skink's presence, and then scampered away in frantic haste. The skink also rushed away several times when the shrew came close enough to disturb it. Three days later, when the shrew had become accustomed to the terrarium, the test was repeated, with different results. The shrew, having finished the food left for it, was noticed moving about the terrarium, sniffing and testing objects with its tactile snout, obviously hungry and searching for more food. The skink was then dropped near it. In a few seconds the shrew sensed the skink's presence and pounced upon it, and bit hard on its back. The skink reacted with a violent flexure of its body which caused the shrew to release it instantly, and both rushed away in opposite directions. After a few seconds the shrew located the skink again, and moved up to it with little hesitation but with nervous alert sniffing, and delivered another quick bite after which the two separated as before, the skink showing signs of injury. Soon the shrew attacked a third time, and bit the skink's tail severing it near the base. As the skink rushed away, the detached tail performed lively squirming movements, but the shrew seized it, held it down, and began to eat the exposed flesh on the broken end as the tail writhed. After rapid nibbling it would drop the tail, and leaving it temporarily would explore the terrarium. Several times on these trips it encountered the skink and renewed its attack. As death of the skink seemed imminent, it was then removed, and it survived with no apparent ill effects.