Descriptions of East Asiatic Mammals 65 
Burma at 6000 feet. This is a large Shrew of about the same 
size as the Musk Shrew, Suncus murinus. It has beautiful soft 
slaty dorsal fur interspersed with long white guard hairs, each 
separate one of which shows clearly against the dark basal fur. 
The fur of the underparts is silvery gray with gray bases, except 
about the mouth where it is cream-colored. In Sikkim, 10,000 
feet, the fur may be washed with buffy color beneath. The ears 
Fig. 8. Web-footed Water Shrew, Nectogale elegans. 
Note the keel-like fringes on the tail (see text). 
are so much reduced that the outer ear conch can scarcely be 
detected. The broad, webbed feet are provided with a fringe of 
stiff short white hairs that may help in swimming. The tail, a 
little shorter than the head and body, is rather thick. It is pro- 
vided with fringes of short white hairs arranged in a peculiar 
manner : From the root of the tail two lateral fringes come 
together in a single fringe that extends along the undersurfaces 
of the tail to the tip. Two other lateral fringes, beginning at 
the first third of the tail length, die out in the terminal third. 
A dorsal fringe originates about the beginning of the terminal 
third and extends to the tip. Apparently the tail, equipped with 
these keel-like rows of hairs, is highly functional in swimming. 
The head and body measure 4% inches, the tail 4 inches, and 
the hind foot about 1% inches. 
