86 MAMMALIA, 



the ear surrounded with white, and ahnost hidden in the hair ; 

 it has the faculty of hermetically closing when the animal dives, 

 while the stiff bristles which fringe its feet give it a facility in 

 swimming, in consequence of which it prefers the banks of 

 creeks and rivulets. 



Several Shrews have been observed in Europe, somewhat dif- 

 fering from the preceding ones ; but as in this genus the age 

 and season materially affect the colours of the fur, it is by no 

 means certain they are distinct species. (l) 



Other countries also have their own, the most remarkable of 

 which is the S. jnyosurus^ Pall., Act. Petrop. 1781, part II, pi. 

 4 ; Mus musquee de I'lnde, Buff. Supp. VII, 7 1 . (The Rat-tailed 

 Shrew.) In its form and colour it resembles our common Shrew, 

 and also has its large naked ears, but the tail is round, furnished 

 with scattering hairs, and is almost as large as that of our 

 Long-tailed Field-mouse. It gives out a strong musky scent 

 which impregnates every thing it touches. It is found through- 

 out India and part of Africa, and is one of the animals the an- 

 cient Egyptians were in the habit of embalming.(2) 



Mygale, Cuv. 



The Desmans differ from the Shrews in two very small teeth 

 placed between the two great lower incisors, and in their two upper 



(1) The S. leucodo7i, Schreb. 159, D, does not appear to me to differ from the 

 common Shrew. I strong-ly suspect the -S". teiragonunis and constricius, Herm., 

 Scb-eb. 159, B and C, or Geoff. Ann. Mus. XVII, pi . 2, f . 3, and pi. 3, f. 1, and 

 even the S. remifer, Geoff. Ann. Mus. XVII, pi. 2, f. 1, to be different ag'es of the 

 Water-Shrew; the remifer particularly, whose belly is sometimes white, sometimes 

 black; the S. lineatus, Geoff, ib. 181, is an accidental variety of the tetragonurus 

 arising from age. The S. minutus, Laxmann, Schreb. 161, B, is merely a muti- 

 lated specimen of the S. pygmoeus. Pall. 



Such is not the case however with the -S". etruscus, Savi, which is but half the 

 size of our common species, is blackish, has naked ears, white muzzle and paws, 

 round tail, &c. It is a true and distinct species. 



(2) I consider the S. myosurus. Pall, and Geoff- Ann. du Mus. XVIF, pi. 3, f. 

 2 ; the S. capensis, id. ib. pi. ii, f. 2 ; the S. indicus, id. Mem. du Mus. I, pi. 15, f. 

 1, as ages or varieties of one same species, to which I also refer the <S'. giganteus, 

 Isid. Geoff. Mem. du Mus. XV, pi. 4, fig. 3 ; perhaps even the S. Jlavescens, Isid. 

 Geoff, ib. Seba figures it, Mus. I, pi. 31, f. 7 and 11 pi. 63, fig. 5, and tlie 

 white variety, I, pi. 47, f. 4. Add the *S'. murinus, Lin. of Java, of the size of a 

 mouse ; grey ; ears naked ; tail round and nearly as long as the body. The S'. bre- 

 vicaudtis, Say, from North America ; blackish, ears concealed, tail one-fourth the 

 length of the body. S. parvus, id. with naked ears. The S. suaveolens. Pall., and 

 the other species jjointed out by liim in his Zoography of Russia. This genus 

 needs revision as much as that of the Bats. N.B. There are several species in 

 the United States which have not yet been sufficiently examined. Jim. Ed. 



