Mr. E. Blyth on the Indian species of Shrews, 19 



blackish-brown, with a rufescent shade to the upper parts; 

 abdomen greyish. From Madras/' (Qu. Madras Presidency ?) 

 [S. NIGER, Elliot, appears like a miniature S. Griffithii, but 

 with a long and slender tail. To the description given by 

 Dr. Horsfield, I may add, that the tail, although long and 

 slender (thus differing from the larger examples of this section), 

 has the scattered stiff hairs observable in the species with stout 

 tails, such as S. c^rulescens and S. Griffithii. Fur deep 

 blackish-grey, tipped with glossy-brown, as in the latter-men- 

 tioned species, in which, as in S. niger, the fur has somewhat 

 of the same glistening appearance so remarkable in some of 

 the aquatic species of Australian mammals, such as the Orni- 

 thorhynchus and Hydromys, and also the Myogalea of Europe; 

 but at the roots the fur is not so dense as in these aquatic ani- 

 mals. Head and body 3'^ 8'^ about; tail 2" 6'"; fore-foot 6"' ; 

 planta 9"^ This note has been taken by the kind permission of 

 Dr. Horsfield from the specimen described in his Catalogue of 

 the Mammalia in the Museum of the East India Company. — 

 R. F. Tomes.] 



8. S. ferrugineus, Kelaart, J. A. S. xx. 185 ; S. montanus, 

 apud nos (misled by a label), ibid. 163, vide xxi. 350, note, 

 Hab. Ceylon. 



N.B. The dimensions of the specimen described in J. A, S. 

 XX. 163, accord with those assigned by Dr. Kelaart to the next 

 species ; and he states that the two are nearly of the same size, 

 and that the smell of the present species is very powerful. 



9. S. MONTANus, Kelaart (nee apud nos, J. A. S. xx. 163), 

 '^ Length of head and body 3| in. ; of tail 2\ in. ; of hind- 

 foot f in. Fur, above sooty- black, without any ferruginous 

 smear; beneath lighter coloured; whiskers long, silvery-grey; 



-lower part of legs and feet greyish, clothed with appressed hairs. 

 Claws short, whitish. Ears large, round, naked; the outer 

 margin lying on a level with the fur of the head and neck, and 

 being thus concealed posteriorly." Mountains of Ceylon (" the 

 blackest Shrew of the highest parts of the island." Kelaart). 



N.B. Dr. Kelaart has lately forwarded an entire specimen in 

 spirit of a young female Shrew found at Galle{!), though with the 

 three pairs of inguinal teats well developed, which may prove to 

 be the young of S. montanus, but is perhaps distinct and new. 

 If so, S. Kelaarti, nobis. Colour uniform blackish, above and 

 below, slightly grizzled and glistening ; the fur short and close, 

 with scattered fine long hairs throughout (as described of S. 

 montanus). Length of head and body 2f in.; of tail 1^ in.; 

 and of hind-foot with claws 4 in. 



2* 



