26 Mr. E. Blyth on the Indian species of Shrews. 



tail elongate, scaly, with appressed dark brown hairs above and 

 elongate rigid whitish hairs beneath, and brown elongated rigid 

 hairs near the tip; feet rather naked; whiskers numerous, 

 elongate, brown. Teeth whiteJ' Probably from the neighbour- 

 hood of Simla or Masuri. 



[The excellent description given by Dr. Gray of this species 

 renders it somewhat unnecessary that I should give a detailed 

 description taken from the same specimen by myself ; but having 

 sent one to Mr. Blyth, at his request, it becomes desirable that 

 it should appear here, as any future allusion to it might tend to 

 confuse instead of elucidate. General forms as in the C. fodiens 

 of Europe : — ^Ears hidden in the fur, very small and hairy. Tail 

 very long and slender, thickly clothed with hair of a stiff nature, 

 from a distance of about half-an-inch from its root to the tip, 

 which has a brush or pencil of hairs about a quarter of an inch 

 long. Nails very short ; both fore and hind feet distinctly cili- 

 ated. Fur rather long, dusky at base, tipped with shining dark 

 brown on all the upper parts ; below the same, but with the tips 

 paler, especially about the throat, which is stained with rufous ; 

 above and around the root of the tail are a number of long pale 

 hairs, projecting through the fur for a length of about a quarter 

 of an inch. Head and body about 6" ; tail about 3" 6'" ; hind- 

 foot and claws 11"' ; fore-foot and claws 6i'". The teeth of this 

 example are those of a restricted Sorex, and I feel no hesitation 

 in saying, after a careful examination, that they have been intro- 

 duced by the stuffer ; also, in the j)rocess of preservation, the 

 tail appears to have been slit up on the under side, thus render- 

 ing it difficult to decide whether it was ciliated like the feet ; 

 but, from the appearance of the hair on that part, I think that 

 it resembled that of C. fodiens. It is obviously a true Cros- 

 sopus.— R. F. T.] 



In the other type of dentition, the lower quasi-incisors are 

 distinctly serrated, with three or four coronal points; and the 

 anterior point of the upper quasi-incisors is not prolonged 

 beyond a level with its posterior spur ; the lateral small teeth 

 which follow in the upper jaw are five in number, and diminish 

 gradually in size from the first backward. Tail cylindrical, not 

 tapering, and furnished with a stiffish brush at the extremitv. 

 Such is the common British Land Shrew, S. vulgaris, L. (for- 

 merly confounded by British writers with S. araneus, Schreber), 

 and which is the type of Corsira, Gray (v. Amphisorex, No. 1, 

 Duvernoy, apud Gray). There are many other species*. We 

 refer to it doubtfully. 



* Blaria, Gray (v. Blarina, Lesson), is founded on S. talpgides, 

 Gapper, Zool. Journ. v. 28, referred by Blainville to S. brf.vicaudatus, 



