Chapter II: Golden Moles--Moles--Desmans--Shrews (2)

All sorts of evil qualities were attributed to the Shrew by our ancestors, some of which are still believed in. One old writer says that the Shrew-mouse is “a kind of Field-mouse of the bigness of a Rat and colour of a Weasel, very mischievous to cattel; which, going over a beast’s back, will make it lame in the chine; and the bite of it causes the beast to swell at the heart and die.” The running of a Shrew over the leg of a beast was generally believed to cause the latter great pain, and to produce lameness. The proper cure for these imaginary ills was on a par with the mischief; the remedy was the application to the part affected of a branch or twig of a shrew-ash, which, says Gilbert White, “was made thus: into the body of the tree a deep hole was bored with an auger, and a poor devoted Shrew-mouse was thrust in alive, and plugged in, no doubt with several quaint incantations since forgotten.”

There is one circumstance in the natural history of the Shrew that must have struck everybody, although it is still entirely unexplained. This is the death of great numbers of these animals in autumn without any apparent cause. Residents in the country will know that at that season Shrews may be seen lying dead on almost every footpath; in fact, the observation is so general as to have given rise to another superstition, namely, that a Shrew cannot cross a public path without paying the penalty of death. The individuals thus found dead are of both sexes, and of various ages.

The Common Shrew occurs not only in the British Islands, but also over the whole continent of Europe, from Sweden and Russia to the shores of the Mediterranean.

The Lesser Shrew (_Sorex pygmæus_, whose figure will be seen in Plate 12) is a second British species nearly allied to the preceding, but smaller, measuring rather less than two inches in length, and with a proportionately longer tail. The lower parts of the body are also whiter. It is the smallest of British Mammals.[282]

DEKAY’S SHREW.[283]

Some small species of American Shrews agree with the restricted genus _Sorex_ in the number of teeth, but have no lobe at the base of the upper incisors; the external ear is small, turned forward, and the tail short, usually not longer than the head. These form the genus _Blarina_.

Dekay’s Shrew is about four inches and a half long, and the tail about an inch. Its fur is of a rusty yellow-grey colour above, paler beneath; the nose and feet are reddish-brown, and the front incisors black. From Dr. Bachman’s description it would appear that this animal burrows rather deeply in the ground, after the fashion of the Mole. It is found in the northern United States.

THE GARDEN SHREW.[284]

A very considerable number of Shrews, distributed in all parts of the Old World, and including two or three well-known European species, have been formed into the genus _Crocidura_, which in its turn has been divided again and again by means of characters generally of very slight importance.

The _Crociduræ_ have from twenty-eight to thirty teeth, all white, or with white tips; the lower incisors are not toothed; the teeth between the incisors and the molars in the upper jaw gradually decrease in size; and the tail is covered with short hairs, among which there are a good many longer ones.

The Garden Shrew (_Crocidura aranea_) is a small species, usually measuring a little over four inches in total length, of which the tail occupies about an inch and a third. It has twenty-eight teeth which are all white. The fur is of a mouse-grey colour, shading off into whitish ash on the lower surface; the feet are light ashy, with the toes flesh-coloured, as is also the tip of the snout; and the ears, which are well exposed, are ash-coloured above and whitish below. The fur occasionally has a reddish-brown tinge; and, as in the Common Shrew, specimens spotted with white, and even albinos, sometimes occur. This is a common species almost all over Europe, but does not occur in Sweden or in the British Islands. It lives in woods and plantations, in the fields and in gardens, and in the winter approaches close to the houses, sheltering itself under stones and other objects, and sometimes even entering stables and other outbuildings. Like the other species, it feeds upon insects, worms, and other small animals, and like them also it has the reputation of injuring domestic animals by walking over them.

The Tuscan Shrew (_Crocidura etrusca_) is another well-known European species, but its distribution is much more limited than that of the Garden Shrew. It is found generally in the extreme south of Europe, from France to the Black Sea, and also in the north of Africa, but does not appear to extend north of the Alps. Like the Garden Shrew, it frequents gardens, and not unfrequently comes into houses and outbuildings. In the open country it selects dry and warm situations.

The total length of the Tuscan Shrew is from two inches and a half to two inches and three-quarters, and as the tail is nearly an inch long, the head and body may measure little more than an inch and a half. It is the smallest of living Mammals. The teeth are thirty in number. The colour of the fur is ashy with a reddish tinge above, light ashy beneath; the tail is clothed with short hairs, and with a series of rings of longer white hairs; and the ears are of moderate size, projecting distinctly from the fur. In its habits it agrees with the other species.

THE RAT-TAILED SHREW.[285]

Amongst a number of Indian species, some of which are of doubtful distinctness, we may notice one which seems to be widely distributed in the East, and well known in India and elsewhere, under the name of the Musk Shrew, or Musk Rat. It is usually of a dark brown or even blackish colour above, and much paler beneath, but it varies considerably in this respect, and thus has probably given origin to several so-called species. The ears are of considerable size, and the tail, which is about three-fourths the length of the body, is thickened towards the root--a character of the sub-genus _Pachyura_. The animal is about six inches long. It is a very common Indian species, and frequents houses at night, hunting round the rooms in search of the Cockroaches and other insects which abound there. From time to time it utters a sharp, shrill cry. Its musky odour is exceedingly strong, and is said to impregnate everything that the animal passes over; in fact, the popular belief in India is that in running over a bottle of wine or beer, it is capable of infecting the contents! This, however, is rather more than doubtful. Mr. Jerdon distinguishes two species--an Indian one which he calls _Sorex cœrulescens_, which is usually of a bluish ash colour, and a somewhat smaller species, chiefly inhabiting Further India and China, to which he gives the Linnæan name of _Sorex murinus_. If they are distinct, it is probably to the latter that Mr. Swinhoe refers in his notes on Chinese Mammals under the name the “Musk Rat.” He says that it is found throughout China, Formosa, and Hainan, in houses in large towns, being carried about in junks with the cargo. It has an unpleasant musky odour, and makes a peculiar chattering noise, which sounds like the chinking of money, and, he adds, often disturbed him in his room at night. Such a sound heard in the dark in a strange place would certainly be rather alarming to any one who had money to lose.

The “Musk Rat” of Ceylon is a reddish species, described by Kelaart as _Sorex kandianus_, and by Mr. Jerdon as _S. serpentarius_. It is rather smaller than the preceding, but takes its place in the houses of Ceylon and Southern India, and renders itself equally offensive by its strong musky odour.

Several other Indian species are referred to _Crocidura_, one of which, _C. Perroteti_, is said to be even smaller than the Tuscan Shrew. Others occur in Africa, in Egypt, Mozambique, and Madagascar, and in the neighbourhood of the Cape.

THE WATER SHREW.[286]

Our British Water Shrew is the type of a distinct genus, all the species of which appear to haunt the margins of water. They have thirty teeth, all of which are tipped with brown or red. The upper front teeth are large and curved, and have a basal cusp behind; the lower ones are nearly horizontal, and have a single tubercle and no notch at the tip. Behind these teeth there are on each side in the upper jaw four small teeth, the last of which is very minute; and in the lower jaw two small teeth. The molars are four on each side in the upper, and three in the lower jaw. The snout is pointed, and furnished with very long whiskers; the eyes small; the ears of moderate size, and valvular; and the feet and lower surface of the tail fringed with stiff hairs.

Our Water Shrew (its figure will be seen in Plate 12), which measures about three inches and one-third in length, and has a tail rather more than two inches long, is generally nearly black on the upper surface and white beneath, the colours being usually separated by a distinct line of demarcation. The hairs fringing the feet and the lower surface of the tail are white. There is, however, considerable variation in the colour of different specimens, some of which have been described as distinct species. One especially, in which the whole of the fur is of a black colour, has been called the Oared Shrew (_Sorex ciliatus_ or _remifer_), but the existence of intermediate steps has led to the recognition of the identity of even this with the Common Water Shew. Mr. Bell is of opinion that the differences of coloration depend on the season and the age of the specimen. The tail is slender, four-sided, and compressed towards the tip. The Water Shrew is distributed over the whole continent of Europe, as far north as the shores of the Baltic. It is found in many localities in England and in Scotland, but is not known to occur in Ireland.

The Water Shrew is one of the prettiest of our British Mammals. Its movements, especially in the water, are very agile; and although, from its swimming by alternate strokes of its hind feet, its course is of a somewhat wriggling character, the peculiar mode in which it flattens its body so as to show a narrow white border on each side, and the silvery lustre of the coat of air-bubbles which adheres to its back, give it a very elegant appearance when thus engaged. It is found chiefly about the rivulets of mountainous and hilly countries, generally showing a preference for those quieter parts where the water flows smoothly over a sandy bottom, but it will also make its way through more broken water, in shallow parts full of stones. Clear water seems to be the great desideratum, and if this can be secured the Water Shrew will put up with a lake or pond. It is not, however, absolutely confined to the water-side, but will at times wander about the fields, sheltering itself under haycocks, and other heaps of dried plants, and even making its way into houses, barns, and outbuildings.

Nevertheless, as may be judged from the fringed tail and feet, it is essentially an aquatic animal, and its regular habitation seems to be always constructed in the immediate vicinity of water. Here the Water Shrew burrows into the soft ground of the bank, and forms a subterranean dwelling, usually with several openings, one of which is situated beneath the surface of the water, to give the little creature an opportunity of slipping quietly and unperceived into or out of its house. Its food is principally obtained in the water, and consists of aquatic insects, worms, mollusca, and crustacea, which it snaps up in its rapid fittings to and fro. In Bell’s “British Quadrupeds” the pursuit of the Freshwater Shrimp (_Gammarus pulex_) in a shallow but rapid streamlet by the Water Shrew is described. The little animal was seen busily pushing about among the stones at the bottom of the water, sometimes poking its nose under them, sometimes turning them over in a fashion which might be thought beyond its strength. The result was the same in either case; the Shrew captured some small article of food, with which it made off to the side of the stream, where it was heard crunching the crustaceans between its teeth.

Besides this small prey, the Water Shrew is said by Continental writers to attack almost any small animal that comes in its way--frogs, fishes, and even small birds and quadrupeds are described as among its victims. It is also said to feed on the spawn of fishes, and, according to Brehm’s testimony, will even destroy large fish, such as Carp, by eating out their eyes and brains. Carrion and dead animals will also furnish it with a meal. One of Mr. Bell’s editors gives a striking instance of this. A steel rat-trap had been set, and in the morning contained a large Rat, “on which was perched a small black object, which proved on closer approach to be a Water Shrew. The Rat was dead, and the Shrew was devouring it. Although the slender snout and projecting and comparatively weak teeth of the Shrew were but ill adapted, one would have thought, for devouring prey of the size of a full-grown Rat, yet the animal had succeeded in making a small hole through the skin, and this it was most energetically employed, by means of both teeth and claws, in enlarging. So ferocious were its actions, that it might very properly be said to be _fighting_ the Rat; and so intent was it on its work as to suffer itself to be captured by the observer, who laid the loading-rod of his gun across its back.”

The breeding season begins in April or May, when the courtship of the little creatures commences by a persevering pursuit of his intended partner by the male. The lady exhibits a becoming coyness, leading her suitor a long chase through the water; but while thus engaged both parties keep the main chance in view, and seize everything eatable that comes in their way. The young are brought forth in a chamber in the bank, and are from five to seven or eight in number.

A nearly allied, but larger species, the Himalayan Water Shrew (_Crossopus himalaicus_), occurs in the streams of the Himalayas. Mr. Jerdon, who obtained it from the Little Rungeet River at Darjeling, describes it as five or six inches long, dark brown or blackish above, paler beneath, and with a bunch of hairs at the tip of the tail. It was said to kill small fish, tadpoles, aquatic insects, &c. Another species (_C. platycephalus_) inhabits Japan.

The Marsh Shrew (_Sorex palustris_), of North America, has bean referred to this genus by some authors; but it has a long slender, cylindrical tail, with a pencil of hairs at the tip, and Professor Baird refers it to the genus _Sorex_. The teeth are the same in number as in _Crossopus_, and likewise have their tips reddish-brown. This species inhabits the northern parts of North America up to Hudson’s Bay Territory.

THE TIBETAN WATER SHREW.[287]

This is another of the Mammals for the knowledge of which we are indebted to the Abbé David, and it is one of the most curious species of this family, presenting a combination of characters peculiar to itself with those of the True Shrews and the Desmans. “Its head and skull,” says M. A. Milne-Edwards, “refer this animal to the _Soricidæ_, whilst its palmated feet and compressed tail indicate close affinities with the _Myogalidæ_; but the sucking discs with which the lower surfaces of its feet are furnished belong to itself alone, and nothing of the same kind is to be found in the allied groups.”

In some respects the Tibetan species is allied to the European Water Shrew, but it has only twenty-eight instead of thirty teeth, namely, incisors, (3–3)/(1–1), canines, (1–1)/(1–1), molars, (4–4)/(4–4); the skull is flattened; the body robust, and supported on short limbs; the muzzle short, broad, and conical, with large whiskers at the sides, and the nostrils opening laterally near the extremity; the eyes exceedingly small; and the ears entirely concealed by the hair and quite destitute of a conch. The tail is stout, longer than the body, quadrangular at the base, then triangular, and finally flattened at the sides; and the feet are large and broadly palmated, so as to form vigorous swimming organs, very closely resembling those of the Desmans. As in the latter animals, the feet are fringed with stiff hairs of peculiar construction; but the nails, which in the Desmans are strong, are here small and weak. The sucking discs, already mentioned as peculiar to this animal, are certainly among its most remarkable characteristics. They occur upon the feet of both pairs, and consist of large pads, depressed in the middle to form cups, which are doubtless of service to the animal in its aquatic mode of life.

The Tibetan Water Shrew is rather a large species, measuring, when adult, nearly eight inches in total length, more than half of which, however, is occupied by the tail. It is thus much larger than the British Water Shrew. Its body is covered with hair of two kinds. Close to the skin is a very thick soft down of a slaty grey colour, through which pass numerous longer hairs, which are grey at the base and white at the extremity, causing the animal to vary considerably in appearance, according as these longer hairs are raised or laid flat. The lower parts of the body are white.

In its compressed tail and largely webbed feet this Shrew possesses most admirable instruments for progression in the water; in fact, it must be regarded as the most thoroughly aquatic of all the family of the Shrews. According to its discoverer, it lives habitually on the banks of the impetuous torrents which descend from the mountains of Moupin in Tibet; and notwithstanding the rapidity of these streams, it swims and dives in them with the greatest facility, chasing the small fishes which constitute its principal food. Although not uncommon in its native region, its activity in the water renders its capture exceedingly difficult. In order to procure specimens, it is necessary to divert the course of a stream, and then pursue the animals into the holes in which they take refuge.

THE TAILLESS SHREW.[288]

Another curious little Mammal, brought from Tibet by the Abbé David, is described by M. A. Milne-Edwards as forming a distinct genus, under the name of _Anurosorex_, or the Tailless Shrew. It has only twenty-six teeth in all, namely, incisors, (2–2)/(1–1), canines, (1–1)/(1–1), and molars, (4–4)/(4–4). The tail is remarkably short, scarcely passing beyond the hairs of the body, slender, slightly flattened, of the same thickness throughout, and covered with small scales, from between which project a few very short hairs. The general form of the body is mole-like, the head is large, the muzzle conical, flesh-coloured, having the nostrils on each side near its extremity, and furnished with long whiskers. The eyes are scarcely perceptible, and the ears are entirely concealed beneath the hairs. The feet are short and scaly, whence the name given to the species, and the fore-feet are broader and stronger than the hind-feet, thus furnishing all additional indication of affinity to the Moles.

This species was found abundantly both in the Plains and mountains of Setchouan and Tibet, where it lives in burrows which it digs in the earth. Its total length is little more than four inches, and its fur, which is very silky and thick, is of a grey colour with a greenish brown tinge. The feet are whitish and the nails white.

* * * * *

In the preceding sketch of the Insectivorous order of Mammals, we have followed in general the classification proposed by Professor Mivart, and slightly modified by Mr. Gill. The following summary of the arrangement will be useful for reference:--

SUB-ORDER I.--DERMOPTERA.

Family 1. GALEOPITHECIDÆ.

Genus--Galeopithecus.

SUB-ORDER II.--INSECTIVORA VERA.

Family 2. TUPAIDÆ.

Genera--Tupaia, Ptilocereus, Hylomys.

Family 3. MACROSCELIDÆ.

Genera--Macroscelides, Petrodromus. Rhynchocyon.

Family 4. ERINACEIDÆ.

Genera--Erinaceus, Gymnura.

Family 5. CENTETIDÆ.

Genera--Centetes, Hemicentetes, Ericulus, Echinops, Oryzorictes,
Solenodon.

Family 6. POTAMOGALIDÆ.

Genus--Potamogale.

Family 7. CHRYSOCHLORIDÆ.

Genera--Chrysochloris, Chalcochloris.

Family 8. TALPIDÆ.

Genera--Talpa, Parascaptor, Mogera, Scaptochirus, Scaptonyx,
Condylura, Scalops, Scapanus.

Family 9. MYOGALIDÆ.

Genera--Myogale, Urotrichus, Uropsilus.

Family 10. SORICIDÆ.

Genera--Sorex, Blarina, Crocidura, Crossopus, Nectogale, Anurosorex.

Only in one respect have we thought it desirable to depart from Professor Mivart’s system, namely, in raising the Desmans (_Myogalidæ_) to the rank of a distinct family. This course was adopted for the sake of simplicity in the classification, as the combination of characters presented by those animals places them so remarkably between the Moles and the Shrews, that from a zoological point of view they cannot satisfactorily be referred to either.

One thing that will strike the reader at once is the great number of family types, for the most part strongly characterised, that can be distinguished in so small an order. Mr. Wallace estimates the total number of species of Insectivora at 135, and of these about 65, or nearly one-half, belong to the single family of the Shrews, leaving about 70 species for all the other families; and of these 34 species, or again nearly one-half, are referred to the two widely distributed groups the Hedgehogs and the Moles.

Considering these facts, and the clear differentiation of most of the forms, notwithstanding the existence of those types already alluded to, which in several of the families seem to lead towards the _Soricidæ_, we can hardly avoid agreeing with Mr. Wallace in regarding the existing Insectivora as “the detached fragments of a much more extensive group of animals, now almost extinct,” a view which is strongly corroborated by the geographical distribution of the animals.

Curiously enough several of the smaller and more peculiar families are limited much in the same way as the Pteropine Bats and Lemurs, chiefly to the countries surrounding the great Indian ocean, beneath which, as we have already stated, the hypothetical continent of Lemuria is very probably submerged. The Galeopithecidæ and Tupaiidæ are almost confined to the Malayan region, and the Centetidæ (with the exception of the anomalous genus _Solenodon_) are peculiar to Madagascar; the Macroscelididæ have their home on the eastern coast of Africa, except a single species which occurs in the northern part of that continent; the Chrysochloridæ are exclusively South African; and the curious _Potamogale_ inhabits some of the West African rivers. Thus, except in the case of _Solenodon_, the whole of these groups are now represented solely within the region inhabited by the Pteropine Bats. Does this point to a “Lemurian” origin, or at any rate to a great former development in the Lemurian land, of the Insectivorous Mammalia?

Of the more widely distributed families, the Erinaceidæ occur chiefly in the northern temperate regions of the Eastern hemisphere, stretching away continuously from Europe and the North African deserts, through Asia Minor and Persia, and across Central Asia to the Pacific Coast, whilst one or two species occur in South Africa, and one very aberrant form, the Bulau (_Gymnura_), is found in the Malayan region, along with the Bangsrings, to which it is allied through the genus _Hylomys_. The true Moles and the Shrews occur in the northern parts of both hemispheres, and the latter family, indeed, is represented in all parts of the world except South America and the Australian region. The Desmans, which stand in so peculiar a position between the Shrews and the Moles, present a curious instance of what has been called “discontinuous distribution,” the two nearly allied species being found only in two localities, separated from each other by the whole breadth of the European continent. The entire absence of Insectivora from the South American continent, and the presence of the Solenodons, which seem to be most nearly related to the Centetidæ of Madagascar, in Cuba and St. Domingo, are further remarkable facts in the geographical distribution of these animals. Scarcely less singular is the distribution of the two species of _Urotrichus_, one of which occurs in Japan, and the other on the Pacific coast of North America.

The evidence derived from the fossil remains of Insectivora, as to the former history of the order, in its bearing upon the present geographical distribution of its members, is very inconclusive; but the principal facts to be gathered from it is that from Miocene times to the present day the representatives of the order in different localities, so far as these are known, have generally belonged to the same types, and no undoubted remains of Insectivora are known from earlier formations than the Miocene. At one time, indeed, some of the beautiful Mammalian fossils of the Stonesfield slate (Lower Oolite) of Oxfordshire were regarded as probably representing Insectivora, but their Marsupial character is now generally recognised; and this is the case also with the _Dromotherium_ from the Trias of North Carolina, which was at one time believed to carry the present order so far back in time.

Species of the existing genera _Erinaceus_, _Sorex_, _Myogale_, and _Talpa_, and of several nearly-allied extinct genera, have been determined from Miocene and subsequent deposits in various parts of Europe, and especially from the lacustrine beds of the Auvergne; and in North America also a few species have been found and referred to genera for the most part almost identical with those still living on that continent. In some instances even the Miocene species appear to be nearly identical with those now inhabiting the same regions.

The principal apparent exceptions to this rule are to be found in a fossil species from the Miocene of the Auvergne, described by M. Pomel under the name of _Echinogale Laurillardii_ (Centetidæ), and two forms described by Hermann von Meyer, as forming a new genus (_Oxygomphius_), allied to the Bangsrings, from the Tertiary basin of Weisenau, in Southern Germany. But the true position of these fossils is, to say the least of it, exceedingly doubtful; and this is still more strikingly the case with the Eocene American genus _Omomys_ supposed to be an animal allied to the Hedgehogs and the Bangsrings, but which Professor Leidy himself, in describing it, compares with nearly all the types of true Insectivora and with the Opossums.

This last comparison leads us, perhaps, towards the origin of the Insectivora. In the East, the Bangsrings, and notably the beautiful little Ptilocerque, and the curious genus _Hylomys_, which, again, seems to unite the Bangsrings with the Hedgehogs through the anomalous genus _Gymnura_, present manifest relationships with the Phalangers, some of which abound in the islands further to the east. From these animals to the true Shrews, many of which abound in the east, is no great step. On the other hand, we have already seen that Brandt recognised Opossum-like characters in his _Solenodon_, but it must be confessed that these are almost exclusively external. Professor Leidy describes, besides _Omomys_ above referred to, some other fossils from the Eocene of Wyoming, which he seems to regard as Insectivorous in habit, but Marsupial in structure; and the Stonesfield Mammals, although plainly Marsupial, have Insectivorous tendencies, so that the derivation of the type Insectivora from the Marsupials, or at all events the near affinity of the two orders, perhaps at several points of contact, may be looked upon as established.

In the other direction the affinities of the order would seem to be through the Shrews, Hedgehogs, and Centetidæ with the Carnivora, towards which also the curious West African _Potamogale_ seems clearly to point. The Bangsrings, again, show some traces of an affinity to the Lemurs; and _Galeopithecus_ seems almost to constitute a central point of alliances, uniting the Insectivora with the Lemurs and Bats, and further exhibiting, as Mr. Wallace thinks, certain peculiarities which smack strongly of direct Marsupial relations. The relationship of the Insectivora to the Rodentia can hardly be regarded as a true affinity, although the analogies between different types in the two orders are among the most striking phenomena of the kind with which we are acquainted. The type of the Mice and Rats is reproduced by the Shrews, the Squirrels by the Bangsrings, the Porcupines by the Hedgehogs and Tanrecs, the Jerboas by the Jumping Shrews, and the Ondatra by the Desmans; whilst even the highly specialised Moles are reflected among the Rodents by the various species of Mole-Rats. But none of these resemblances indicate affinity, and the Rodent type may be regarded as differentiated from the old probably Marsupial ancestral forms quite independently of the Insectivora.

W. S. DALLAS.

PRINTED BY CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED, LA BELLE SAUVAGE, LONDON, E.C.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] πλατύς, flat or broad; ῥινές, nostrils.

[2] κατά, downwards; ῥινές, nostrils.

[3] Ἄνθρωπος, man; μορφή, form or shape.

[4] The back edge of the hard, bony palate, with which the soft palate and uvula are continuous, forms a wide concave notch, whilst that of man projects in the centre of the notch.

[5] The tongue has the same kind of papillæ, or slight projections of its surface, as in man; some called fungiform are seen at the tip, and on the surface generally, and others more or less cup-shaped. These last are found at the back, and are not arranged in any definite shape or order.

[6] The Gibbons have no air sacs.

[7] See page 16.

[8] _Troglodytes Tschiégo_ (Duvernoy); _Troglodytes calvus_ (Du Chaillu).

[9] _Troglodytes Koolo-Kamba_ (Du Chaillu); _Troglodytes Aubryi_ (Gratiolet and Alix).

[10] Koolo is the cry, and Kambe means “to say.”

[11] _Troglodytes niger._

[12] This interesting animal died in 1876.

[13] They have several muscular peculiarities. Thus the great muscle of the hind part of the loins (sacro lumbalis) is vast and fleshy in man, but it is reduced to very small proportions in the great Apes. The great oblique muscle of the body is not attached to the hip, and the muscles of the buttocks are reduced excessively in the Apes. All this renders their erect position difficult and not usual. The motions of the shoulder and arms are assisted by extra muscles; one stretches from the sixth neck-vertebra to the first rib, another reaches from the outer part of the collar-bone to the neck in front, to the bone under the tongue (hyoid bone), and a third from the collar-bone to the side of the first vertebra. The small muscle of the chest (pectoralis minor) reaches to the capsule which surrounds the shoulder-joint. There is an extra muscle, which reaches from the back to the elbow, and which allows the animals, when hanging by one hand, to turn and twist the body slightly. The metacarpal bone of the little finger has a special muscle, which tends to enlarge the grasp of the hand. The great Apes have, however, an imperfect or deficient proper flexor to the thumb, and the extensor of the first joint of the thumb is wanting. The ill-developed “calf” has not its two great muscles combined in the one tendo Achillis, as in man, and the muscles of the foot are so arranged that they permit of much more independent motion than those of man have.

[14] _Simia satyrus._ _Simia morio._

[15] The _Transversus pedis_.

[16] A muscle, called the _accessory flexor_ of the toes, is absent in the Orangs, and one termed _scansorius_, or climber, exists on the outside of the hip and the joint of the thigh.

[17] * Is the intermediate bone.

[18] _Hylobates._

[19] _Hylobates syndactylus._

[20] The abductor of the third joint of the second finger. The thumb counts as the first finger.

[21] _Hylobates lar._

[22] _Hylobates hoolook._

[23] _Hylobates pileatus._

[24] _Hylobates agilis._

[25] _Cynomorpha._

[26] _Semnopithecus melalophus._

[27] _Semnopithecus maurus._

[28] _Semnopithecus nasalis._

[29] _Semnopithecus entellus._

[30] _Semnopithecus frontatus._

[31] _Semnopithecus rubicundus._

[32] _Semnopithecus nemæus._

[33] _Semnopithecus nigripes._

[34] _Semnopithecus Nestor._

[35] _Semnopithecus ursinus._

[36] The kinds of Monkeys included in this genus have a very wide geographical range. Mr. Wallace states that a species has been seen at an altitude of 11,000 feet in the Himalayas; and _Semnopithecus roxellana_, which resembles a young _Semnopithecus nasalis_, occurs in Eastern Tibet (about lat. 30° N.) in the highest forests. Elsewhere, they extend over the forest land of the Oriental region of natural history.

[37] Thumbless Monkeys.

[38] _Colobos guereza._

[39] _Cercopithecus._

[40] _Cercopithecus Diana._

[41] _Cercopithecus Mona._

[42] _Cercopithecus petaurista._

[43] _Cercopithecus talapoin._

[44] _Cercopithecus callitrichus._

[45] _Cercopithecus erythrogaster._

[46] _Cercopithecus ruber._

[47] _Cercopithecus æthiope._

[48] In the Cercopitheci the skull has a large brain-case, and that part on which the brain and cerebellum rest is concave or pitted on the petrosal bone, and on each side of the crista galli in the fore part of the skull. In general there is a laryngeal pouch. The first premolar is like that of the Semnopitheci. The other anatomical peculiarities of these and of the Semnopitheci will be found in the description of the Macaques and Baboons.

[49] _Macacus_, or _Inuus_.

[50] A name of the Roman divinity Faunus.

[51] _Macacus cynomolgus._

[52] _Macacus cyclopis._

[53] _Macacus radiatus._

[54] _Macacus rhesus._

[55] _Macacus maurus._

[56] _Macacus brunneus._

[57] _Macacus nemestrinus._

[58] _Macacus sylvanus, or Inuus ecaudatus._

[59] _Macacus silenus._

[60] _Cynocephalus._

[61] _Cynocephalus hamadryas._

[62] _Cynocephalus gelada._

[63] _Cynocephalus porcarius._

[64] _Cynocephalus sphinx._

[65] _Cynocephalus anubis._

[66] _Cynocephalus papio._

[67] _Cynocephalus mormon._

[68] The _Acromio-trachelian_. It does not exist in the Chimpanzees.

[69] _Cynocephalus leucophæus._

[70] _Cynocephalus niger._

[71] Some zoologists make a new genus (_Cynopithecus_) of the Black Asiatic Baboons. We demur.

[72] The Siamang is included in this genus.

[73] This spelling is preferable to “Colobus.”

[74] Some zoologists separate the Talapoin Monkey, and place it in a genus by itself; and the Mangabeys are sometimes included in a genus Cercocebus.

[75] The Gelada is included by some in a genus Theropithecus, from its nostrils opening high up; and the Black Baboon is placed in a genus Cynopithecus. These are all inadvisable complications.

[76] _Platyrrhini._

[77] _Mycetes._

[78] _Mycetes chrysum._

[79] _Mycetes villosus._

[80] _Lagothrix._

[81] _Lagothrix olivaceus._

[82] _Ateles._

[83] κρίκος, a ring; εἶδος, shape.

[84] _Ateles paniscus._

[85] _Ateles sub-pentadactylus._

[86] _Ateles variegatus._

[87] _Ateles cucullatus._

[88] _Cebus._

[89] _Cebus albifrons._

[90] _Cebus fatuelius._

[91] _Cebus capuchinus._

[92] This genus is sometimes divided into two--_Callithrix_ and _Chrysothrix_.

[93] _Callithrix sciurea._

[94] It appears to be a long-backed little thing, and this is not because it has more rib-bearing back-bones than the Monkeys of the Old World; on the contrary, they usually number only eleven. As regards the skeleton, the hips appear to be weakly joined on to the spine and to each other by one bone, instead of there being a long and strong sacrum to unite them. The breast-bone has only four pieces between the upper one (or the manubrium), and the cartilage at the lower end.

[95] _Callithrix lugens._

[96] _Callithrix discolor._

[97] _Nyctipithecus trivirgatus._

[98] _Nyctipithecus rufipes._

[99] _Nyctipithecus oseryi._

[100] _Pithecia._

[101] _Pithecia Satanas._

[102] _Pithecia hirsuta._

[103] _Pithecia monachus._

[104] _Pithecia, or Brachyurus calvus._

[105] _Pithecia melanocephala._

[106] _Pithecia leucocephala._

[107] _Arctopithecini._

[108] _Hapale._

[109] _Hapale Jacchus._

[110] _Hapale humeralifer._

[111] _Midas._

[112] _Midas ursulus._

[113] _Midas Devillii._

[114] _Midas rosalia._

[115] An exception must be made in favour of the “Histoire Physique, Naturelle et Politique de Madagascar,” of M. Alfred Grandidier.

[116] _Indris diadema._

[117] _Indris laniger._

[118] _Indris brevicaudatus._

[119] This classification is not that adopted by comparative anatomists, but rather by zoologists.

[120] _Lemur albifrons._

[121] _Lemur mayottensis._

[122] _Lemur mongoz._

[123] _Lemur varius._

[124] _Lemur niger._

[125] χείρ (hand), γαλῆ (weasel).

[126] _Cheirogale furcifer._

[127] _Cheirogale Coquerellii._

[128] _Cheirogale nain._

[129] _Galago_.

[130] _Galago Demidoffii and Galago murinus._

[131] _Galago senegalensis._

[132] _Galago sennaariensis._

[133] _Galago maholi._

[134] This species, which intervenes between the Maholi and Grand Galago, we have already figured and described (see pp. 215, 216).

[135] _Galago crassicaudatus_ (GEOFFROY).

[136] _Galago Monteiri_ (BARTLETT).

[137] _Perodicticus potto._

[138] A very surprising term, as it applies to a Lemuroid.

[139] _Arctocebus calabarensis._

[140] _Nycticebus._

[141] _Loris_, or _Stenops gracilis_.

[142] _Tarsius spectrum_ (GEOFFROY).

[143] _Cheiromys Madagascariensis._

[144] The formula of the milk set is--I. 4/2, C. 2/0, M. 2/2, = 12. That of the permanent set is--I. 2/2, C. 0/0, P. M. 2/0, M. 6/6 = 18. Professor Peters of Berlin moreover states his having found in a very early stage of development in the Aye-Aye, rudimentary teeth yielding a milk dentition--I. 6/2, C. 2/0, M. 6/2 = 18.

[145] The simplicity of this classification is its great merit. The student will, however, find many other genera mentioned in books or placed before the specific names in museums. Thus, the beautiful Lemuroids in the British Museum of our genus Indris are called Propithecus, when the animals have tails, and the genus Lemur is termed _Varecia_. The genus Galago includes the animals called by some zoologists _Otolicnus_ and _Otogale_, &c.

[146] _Pteropus medius._

[147] Colonel Sykes states that he had met with individuals more than fourteen inches long.

[148] _Pteropus edulis._

[149] _Pteropus nicobaricus_, _jubatus_, _dasymallus_, and _griseus_.

[150] _Pteropus poliocephalus._

[151] _Pteropus Gouldii._

[152] _Pteropus vulgaris._

[153] _Cynonycteris ægyptiaca._

[154] _Cynonycteris collaris._

[155] _Cynonycteris amplexicaudata._

[156] _Cynopterus marginatus._

[157] _Epomophorus Whitii._

[158] _Hypsignathus monstrosus._

[159] _Harpyia cephalotes._

[160] _Cephalotes Peronii._

[161] _Macroglossus minimus._

[162] _Melonycteris melanops._

[163] _Notopteris Macdonaldii._

[164] _Rhinolophus luctus_, _Phyllorhina armiger_, _Nycticejus luteus_ (=_Scotophilus Temminckii_), _Miniopterus blepotis_, and _Vespertilio Blythii_.

[165] _Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum._

[166] To this lobe the name of “antitragus” has been given.

[167] _Rhinolophus hipposideros._

[168] Besides the two species found in Britain, two others inhabit southern Europe, the Levant, and Northern Africa, namely, _Rhinolophus euryale_ and _R. Blasii_, the latter often described under the name of _R. clivosus_. Both these species are nearly allied to the English Horseshoe Bats.

[169] _Rhinolophus luctus._

[170] The commonest of the numerous Eastern species of the genus are Pearson’s Horseshoe Bat (_R. Pearsonii_), which has a very large nose-leaf and greatly developed ear lobes, and is found throughout the lofty hill-countries from the Himalayas to the mountains of Burmah and China; Roux’s Horseshoe Bat (_R. affinis_), which varies in colour from orange-brown to greyish-brown, and is found among the hills all over India, and in Ceylon, Burmah, Java, Sumatra, and Borneo; and the Dwarf Horseshoe Bat (_R. minor_), only about one inch and three-quarters in length, which occurs in Burmah, Yunnan, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and Japan. Several varieties of the last two species have been described as distinct forms.

[171] _Rhinolophus megaphyllus._

[172] _Rhinonycteris aurantia._

[173] _Phyllorhina armigera._

[174] Other common Eastern species are the Masked Leaf Bat (_Phyllorhina larrata_), which occurs in Bengal, Further India, Siam, and Java; the Bicolorous Leaf Bat (_P. bicolor_), which inhabits India, China, and many of the Eastern islands; and the Indian Horseshoe Bat (_P. speoris_), an abundant form in Central and Southern India and in Ceylon, and which has also been met with in Burmah. A single species (_P. taitiensis_) has been described from Tahiti. It is very nearly related to the last-named Indian form, if not merely a variety of it. A single species (_P. cerrina_) also inhabits North Australia, where it has been met with at Cape York, and in sandstone caverns in Albany Island. It is about two inches long; above, tawny-brown, darker on the face, head, and shoulders; below, paler, with a grey tinge on the belly. Several species of the genus inhabit the warmer parts of Africa, and one of these (_P. tridens_), a small species, only two inches in length, an inhabitant of Egypt and Nubia, has the posterior nose-leaf divided into three teeth towards the forehead, a character which it displays in common with an Indian species (_P. Stoiiczkana_), and another from Amboyna and Batchian, of still more diminutive proportions. A distinct genus (_Asellia_) has been proposed for the reception of these Bats. The largest species of the genus comes from Guinea and the Gold Coast, on the west coast of Africa. It is nearly five inches in length, and has received the name of _Phyllorhina gigas_. It is associated with two or three smaller species, and two or three others occur in Southern and Eastern Africa.

[175] _Triænops persicus._

[176] This character is of special importance here, as serving to distinguish the Megaderms from the species of another family of Leaf-nosed Bats belonging to the second principal group of Microchiroptera.

[177] _Megaderma lyra._

[178] See also some general remarks on the supposed carnivorous propensities of the _Rhinolophidæ_, p. 281.

[179] _Megaderma frons._

[180] _Nycteris thebaica._

[181] Other described African species are _N. capensis_ (Smith); _N. macrotis_ (Dobson); _N. hispida_ (Schreber); and _N. grandis_ (Peters). The only species found out of Africa is the Javanese Desert Bat (_N. javanica_).

[182] _Plecotus auritus._

[183] _Synotus barbastellus._

[184] _Corynorhinus macrotis._

[185] _Nyctophilus Geoffroyi._

[186] _Vesperugo pipistrellus._

[187] A name derived from the Italian equivalent of the word “Bat.”

[188] Mr. R. McLachlan, F.R.S., mentioned to the present writer an instance which fell within his own experience of the dislodgment of a Bat from beneath a large piece of bark which was torn from a tree by an entomologist in search of Beetles or larvæ. When the bark was detached, the Bat fell, but the entomologist, being unprepared probably for such large game, omitted to secure it, and the species was not ascertained.

[189] _Vesperugo noctula._

[190] _Vesperugo serotinus._

[191] _Vesperugo discolor._

[192] _Vesperugo abramus._

[193] _Vesperugo pachypus._

[194] Another Eastern species, furnished with pads on the thumbs and feet, is the Club-footed Bat (_V. tylopus_), from Northern Borneo, which is distinguished from the above by the presence of two pre-molars on each side in the upper jaw. A small African species, the Dwarf Club-footed Bat (_V. nanus_), is similarly provided.

[195] _Scotophilus Temminckii._

[196] _Scotophilus Welwitschii._

[197] _Chalinolobus tuberculatus._

[198] _Vespertilio murinus._

[199] _Vespertilio Nattereri._

[200] _Vespertilio Daubentonii._

[201] _Vespertilio mystacinus._

[202] Other European species are Bechstein’s Bat (_Vespertilio Bechsteinii_), which has occurred in the New Forest; the Marsh Bat (_Vespertilio dasycneme_), which inhabits the Altai Mountains, and in Europe extends, according to Mr. Dobson, from Russia to England; Capaccini’s Bat (_V. Capaccinii_), an inhabitant of Italy, with which specimens from the Philippine Islands and Japan have been identified; and the Notched-eared Bat (_V. emarginatus_), found in Central and Southern Europe, and extending eastward into Persia.

[203] _Vespertilio formosus._

[204] _Kerivoula picta._

[205] _Harpiocephalus harpia._

[206] _Atalapha novæboracensis._

[207] Other recorded species of this genus are: _A. intermedia_, from Mexico, _A. Pfeifferi_, from Cuba, _A. Frantzii_, from Brazil and Costa Rica, _A. varia_, from Peru and Chili, _A. paltescens_, from Venezuela, and _A. Grayi_, from Chili, all with molars (5–5)/(5–5); and _A. egregia_, from Brazil, _A. Ega_, from Brazil, and _A. caudata_, from Pernambuco and Chili, with molars (4–4)/(5–5). _A. Grayi_ has been said to occur at Juan da Fuca, in North America, and in the Sandwich Islands.

[208] _Miniopterus Schreibersii._

[209] Other recorded species are _Miniopterus tristis_, from the Philippine Islands, and _M. australis_, from the Loyalty Islands.

[210] _Thyroptera tricolor._

[211] Mr. Dobson’s paper above referred to (“Proceedings of the Zoological Society,” 1876, p. 526) contains some interesting particulars as to the occurrence of adhesive organs in Bats and other Mammals.

[212] A second species, _Thyroptera albiventer_, has been described by Mr. Tomes from the vicinity of the Rio Napo, near Quito. It is rather larger than the preceding, and of a reddish-brown colour above, with the lower parts pure white.

[213] _Natalus stramineus._

[214] _Furipterus horrens._

[215] _Saccopteryx bilineata._

[216] In one species, _Saccopteryx plicata_, from Costa Rica, of which Professor Peters makes his genus _Balantiopteryx_, the sac is placed in the middle of the shoulder membrane. In this species, also, the facial part of the skull is inflated on each side. In _S. canina_ and its allies the sac is in the margin of the membrane. These form the genus _Peropteryx_ of Professor Peters.

[217] Other described species of the genus are _Saccopteryx canina_, from Brazil, Guiana, Venezuela, and Guatemala; _S. leptura_, from Surinam; _S. villosa_, from Brazil; _S. Kappleri_, and _S. leucoptera_, from Surinam; _S. brevirostris_, from Brazil; and _S. plicata_, from Costa Rica. _Rhynchonycteris naso_, the Sharp-nosed Bat, is allied to these, but distinguished especially by its very pointed snout. It inhabits Brazil, Surinam, and Guiana.

[218] _Emballonura monticola._

[219] Other known species are _Emballonura nigrescens_, from Amboyna, Ternate, and Australia; and _E. semicaudata_, an inhabitant of the Samoa, Fiji, and Pelew Islands. An allied African species is _Colëura afra_, which, however, presents some characters indicating a relationship to the American _Saccopteryx_.

[220] _Taphozous perforatus._

[221] Other described species of the genus are:--_Taphozous longimanus_, with a large throat-sac in the male, found in India, Ceylon, and Burmah; _T. melanopagon_, with no throat-pouch, but usually with a small black beard under the chin (see figure above), an inhabitant of India, Penang, Burmah, Cochin China, Java, and the Philippine Islands; _T. Theobaldi_, from Tenasserim; _T. australis_, from Australia and New Guinea; _T. mauritianus_, with white wings, from tropical Africa, Madagascar, and the Mascarene Islands; _T. saccolaimus_, from India and the larger Eastern islands; _T. affinis_, from Labuan; and _T. Peli_, from tropical Africa. The Valve-tailed Bat (_Diclidurus albus_), a native of Brazil, is remarkable for its whitish colour, and especially for the presence of a curious horny case, composed of two parts, which covers the extremity of the tail, and is attached to the upper surface of the interfemoral membrane.

[222] _Rhinopoma microphyllum._

[223] _Rhinopoma Lepsianum_ (Peters), is another African species. It inhabits the banks of the Blue Nile.

[224] _Noctilio leporinus._

[225] The White-bellied Hare-lipped Bat (_N. albiventris_) is also an inhabitant of South America.

[226] _Nyctinomus Cestonii._

[227] _Nyctinomus tragatus_ (Dobson), from Continental India, is a nearly allied species, as also _Nyctinomus plicatus_, an inhabitant of India, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.

[228] _Nyctinomus brasiliensis._

[229] In a paper on the group Molossi, Mr. Dobson distinguishes in all twenty-one species of the genus _Nyctinomus_, mostly inhabitants of the Eastern hemisphere. Three species besides the one above described are found in America.

[230] _Molossus nasutus._

[231] Mr. Dobson (_Proceedings of the Zoological Society_, 1876) describes nine species of _Molossus_, all from tropical America.

[232] _Chiromeles torquatus._

[233] _Mystacina tuberculata._

[234] _Mormops Blainvillii._

[235] _Chilonycteris Macleayii._

[236] _Phyllostoma hastatum._

[237] _Vampryus spectrum._

[238] _Macrotus Waterhousii._

[239] Other known species are _Macrotus californicus_ and _M. mexicanus_, the native countries of which are indicated in their specific names.

[240] _Glossophaga soricina._

[241] _Monophyllus Redmanii._

[242] _Phyllonycteris Sezekornii._

[243] Poey’s Leaf Bat (_Phyllonycteris Poeyi_) is a second species inhabiting Cuba.

[244] The rest of the species forming the group _Glossophaga_ have three premolars on each side in each jaw, and the inner upper incisors smaller than the outer ones. The lower incisors are more or less deciduous, and sometimes altogether wanting in the adult. _Lonchoglossa caudifera_ has a well-developed zygomatic arch, and the interfemoral membrane, tail, and spurs very short. It is from Western Brazil and Surinam. The tail in this species is liable to be withdrawn, or lost in preparing the skin of the animal, and hence it has been described under the rather contradictory names of _caudifera_ and _ecaudata_, and a distinct genus (_Anura_) was established upon the apparently tailless specimens. In _Glossonycterus lasiopyga_ the zygomatic arch is deficient, and the tail is wanting; the spurs and interfemoral membrane are very short, and the latter is covered with hair. It is an inhabitant of Mexico. _Chœronycteris mexicana_, from Mexico, and _C. minor_, from Surinam, have a well-developed interfemoral membrane enclosing a very short tail. The anterior molars are very narrow, and the first upper premolar is deciduous.

[245] _Stenoderma perspicillatum._

[246] _Stenoderma jamaicense._

[247] Two other species of Stenoderms are referred to _Artibeus_ by Professor Peters, namely, his _A. fallax_, and _A. concolor_, both from Surinam. Both these have five molar teeth in the upper jaw, the preceding species having only four on each side. Three other species forming the sub-genus _Dermanura_, with only four molars on each side of both jaws, are _Artibeus cinereus_ and _quadrivittatus_, from South America, and _A. toltecum_, from Mexico. _Phyllops albomaculatus_, from Cuba and Jamaica, and _P. personatus_, from Brazil, have five molars on each side in both jaws, and the palate is deeply cut out between the molars. In _Vampyrops lineatus_ and _vittatus_, both South American species, the number of molars is also five, but the palate is not so deeply cut. The typical species of the genus _Stenoderma_, _S. rufum_, resembles this, but has only four molars on each side in each jaw, as described by Geoffroy, but this may be due to the youth of the specimen. _Pygoderma bilabiatum_ and _Ametrida centurio_ also have only four molars on each side, and the hindmost of these is very small. In the latter the face is much flattened. _Chiroderma villosum_ and _pusillum_, on the contrary, have the fourth or hindmost molar larger than any of the rest, and are further characterised by a broad fissure which runs up from the aperture of the nose to the space between the orbits. _Sturnira lilium_ and _chiliensis_ have five molars on each side, and no interfemoral membrane. The former is from Brazil and Paraguay, the latter from Chili. _Brachyphylla cavernarum_, a curious Bat from caves in the islands of St. Vincent and Cuba, which is also said to occur in South Carolina, has an oval nose-leaf surrounded behind by a pit, a triangular fissure in the lower lip, and a rudimentary tail; and the singular genus _Centurio_, including two species (_C. senex_ and _McMurtrii_), found in the West Indies and Central America, has a big, Bull-dog-like head and a flat face covered with naked cutaneous leaves. The teeth in _Centurio_ resemble those of the Spectacled Stenoderm. There is no tail, and the wing-membranes display peculiar translucent patches.

[248] _Desmodus rufus._

[249] According to Professor Gervais; some zoologists make the number of incisors in the first dentition six. The first teeth differ entirely in character from those of the adult animal.

[250] The wound is, in fact, very much like that which many of our readers must occasionally have inflicted on themselves in shaving; and those who are experienced in such matters will know how long it takes to stop the bleeding thus produced.

[251] There is sometimes a difficulty in distinguishing between canines and premolars, and it will be seen, hereafter, that in some cases the canines are supposed to be wanting; but no Insectivore possesses two chisel-like, constantly-growing incisors in each jaw, separated by a long interval from the molars, as in the Rodents, or Gnawing Mammals.

[252] _Galeopithecus volans._

[253] _Tupaia tana._

[254] _Tupaia ferruginea._

[255] _Ptilocercus Lowii._

[256] _Hylomys suillus._

[257] _Macroscelides typicus._

[258] _Macroscelides Rozeti._

[259] _Petrodromus tetradactylus._

[260] _Rhynchocyon Cernei._

[261] _Erinaceus europæus._

[262] _Erinaceus auritus._

[263] _Erinaceus collaris._

[264] _Gymnura Rafflesii._

[265] _Centetes ecaudatus._

[266] _Ericulus spinosus._

[267] _Oryzorictes hova._

[268] _Geogale aurita._

[269] _Solenodon paradoxus._

[270] _Solenodon cubanus._

[271] _Potamogale velox._

[272] _Chrysochloris capensis._

[273] _Talpa europæa._

[274] _Talpa cæca_.

[275] _Condylura cristata._

[276] _Scalops aquaticus._

[277] _Myogale moschata_.

[278] _Myogale pyrenaica._

[279] _Urotrichus talpoides._

[280] _Sorex vulgaris._

[281] Hence the species was called _S. tetragonurus_, by Hermann.

[282] Two or three other Old World species belong to this group, among which may be mentioned the Alpine Shrew (_S. alpinus_), which appears to range from the Alps to India; and the Blackish Shrew (_S. nigrescens_), a very common species in Sikkim and Nepaul. At Darjeling Mr. Jerdon found many specimens lying dead in the roads without apparent injury. Several allied species also inhabit North America, such as Forster’s Shrew (_S. Forsterii_), the Long-nosed Shrew (_S. longirostris_), &c.

[283] _Blarina Dekayi._

[284] _Crocidura aranea._

[285] _Crocidura myosura._

[286] _Crossopus fodiens._

[287] _Nectogaie ciegans._

[288] _Anurosorex squamipes._