Forty-three common shrews (19 male, 24 female) were live-caught in Cheshire, England between September 2001 and June 2003. The work was performed with approval of and under a licence from English nature (licence number 20030767) held by PS. Shrews were classified into three age categories: 18 sub-adults, showing no sign of sexual development (11 female, 7 male), 3 animals undergoing sexual maturation (2 female, 1 male) and 22 sexually mature animals (11 female and 11 male) caught during or after the breeding season. Adult females all exhibited signs of mating, pregnancy and/or lactation. All animals appeared healthy when captured, and were killed humanely by overdose of inhalation anaesthetic (Fluothane, Schering-Plough Animal Health, UK). Animals were inspected for ectoparasites (data not presented) before full necropsy was performed and body mass (minus gastrointestinal tract) recorded. Bladder and oesophagus were removed and dissected in Hanks saline (406 magnification), with nematode and digenean parasites in both tissues counted and identified using keys [30] . Stomachs and guts were removed, weighed, stored in 10% formalin and later dissected in Hanks saline (406 magnification). Recovered helminths were identified as nematodes, cestodes or digeneans [30] and counted.