EPIGEAL MOVEMENT BY SOREX-CINEREUS ON BON-PORTAGE-ISLAND, NOVA-SCOTIA

We studied epigeal movement by Sorer cinereus to test the predictions that nocturnal movement was more extensive than diurnal and that movem ent in areas with cover was more extensive than movement in open areas . S. cinereus were live-trapped in fiberglass pitfall traps and indivi dually marked with colored fluorescent pigments. Surface-level travel by pigment-bearing individuals was tracked and measured with the aid o f a hand-held, long-range ultraviolet lamp. Surface-level, nocturnal t ravel by shrews was longer than diurnal travel. Additionally, surface- level travel in areas with cover was greater than such travel in open habitats. We suggest that the low capture success of S. cinereus often observed during diurnal trapping may be partly due to reduced epigeal activity.