10 SOLENODON PARADOXUS. 



The mammae are two in number in both species, inguinal, or even post- 

 inguinal, situated far apart, on a line just anterior to the genital opening. The 

 number and position of the mammae are thus remarkably different from those in 

 Centetes with its twelve pairs extending from the axillae to the groins. Potamo- 

 gale, however, has but a single inguinal pair. 



The general body hair is long and coarse dorsally, becoming finer and 

 slightly crinkled on the sides and venter. On the back two sorts of hairs are 

 distinguishable: (1) the abundant shorter and finer hairs, and scattered among 

 these, (2) single coarse hairs. The latter appear to have larger follicles and 

 these, in a skin of S. cubanus that has lost some of the hair, are seen to be ar- 

 ranged in oblicjue rows, at intervals in the dried skin of about 5 nmi. In a young 

 Solenodon paradoxus three days old (Plate 1, fig. 1), these coarse hairs are well 

 developed, averaging some 5 mm. in length, and scattered at close intervals 

 in similar oblicjue rows. \^'ith a hand lens the more abundant finer hairs may 

 be seen at the bases of these larger ones. They are very minute and seem to 

 be at least three between each two of the large bristles in a transverse row, while 

 others are scattered between the rows. It seems not unlikely that the coarse 

 spiny hairs present mainl}^ in a longitudinal row on each side in the young 

 of Centetes are homologous with these bristles in Solenodon. The further 

 echinate development of the corresponding hairs in Centetes is seen in the adult 

 that has scattered spine-like hairs over the dorsal area mingled with the more 

 abundant finer hairs of the general bcjdy surface. The further development of 

 a spiny dorsal covering such as is present in Erinaceus, would seem to be thus 

 foreshadowed in these two genera. The statement of Verrill (:07) that the 

 legs, snout, and tail are naked, and that the rump is bare, is not strictly correct. 

 The rhinarium is quite hairless, as are also the soles of the feet, but the rest of 

 the snout, legs, and rump are covered with minute hair, and small appressed 

 hairs spring from between the scales of the tail. 



Color. — In the series of skins at hand there is great variation in the extent 

 and intensity of the colors, and this appears to be independent of sex. The 

 commonest type (Plate 3) has the dorsal surface of the head from the base of 

 the snout to the ears and nape, black. The basal half of the hairs is pale buff. 

 About the eye the long hairs are reflexed in a sort of rosette, and their pale bases 

 thus form an encircling light-colored area. The black-tipped hairs extend over 

 the mid-dorsal area of the liack to the rump and are everpvhcre intermingled 

 with pale, nearly buff-colored hairs, that give thus a grizzled effect to the dorsum. 

 Ventro-laterally from the median line, the black hairs decrease in number, while 



