420 Rev. L. Jenyns on the British Shreivs. 



ivcly the back, sides, and abdomen, which I have noticed in 

 most of the specimens that have fallen under my observation. 

 I need only add, indeed, to what is there stated, that the upper 

 and under surfaces of the tail are like those of the body, but 

 more reddish, with a tolerably well-marked line of separation 

 at the sides : occasionally, however, the tail is of a uniform 

 reddish brown above and below. The snout is always black 

 at the extremity. In the common shrew, a rufous or yellowish 

 tinge more or less pervades the whole of the body ; and the 

 feet as well as the under parts of the snout (even to the tip) 

 and tail are often testaceous. 



In addition to the above differences, which are founded 

 upon external characters, I may notice a marked dissimilarity 

 in the cranium, which is broader and much more depressed 

 in the square-tailed than in the common species, and with the 

 profile or chaffron rather more arched. 



Having pointed out the distinguishing characters of these 

 two shrews, it becomes necessary to speak, in the next place, 

 of their nomenclature. The larger of the two I have already 

 designated by the name of square-tailed, not only because the 

 title is extremely applicable, but because I believe this species 

 to be the true S. tetragonurus of Hermann and Duvernoy. It 

 is also decidedly identical with two specimens brought from 

 Germany last summer by Mr. Ogilby, to one of which the 

 name of tetragonurus is attached. But at the same time I 

 feel some doubts whether it be the S. tetragonurus of GeofFroy 

 ,and of other authors. With regard to the smaller of the two 

 species, or that which I have called above common shrew, I find 

 it impossible to identify it with complete certainty with any 

 of those described by continental naturalists. In fact there 

 are but two species belonging to this division of the genus 

 Sorex (exclusive of the S.fodiens of Duvernoy), the characters 

 of which, so far as I know, have been given in sufficient detail 

 to enable them to be recognised. These are the S. tetrago- 

 nurus and the S. constrictus of authors. The former (at least 

 as described by Duvernoy) I have already considered to be the 

 same as the square-tailed shrew of this paper. The latter, 

 which was also established by Hermann, Duvernoy considers 

 as the young of S. fodiens ; but this cannot be said of the S. 



