220 BULLETIN OF THE 



Hands. 



" Hand contained about two and a third " Feet smaller than in section A ; the 

 times in the hind feet." anterior contained about one and a half 



times in the posterior." 



In forty-seven specimens of B. talpoides In four specimens of B. cinerea the 

 the proportion is 74 to 100; in three spe- proportion is 7") to 100; in six specimens 

 aniens of B. brevicuudu the proportion is of B. exilipes G8 to 100; in four of B. 

 72 to 100; in three of B. carolinensis it Berlandieri GG to 100. 

 is also 72 to 1U0. The range of varia- 

 tion, however, in B. talpoides (see Baird's 

 table) is from .55 (specimens No. 2,()7G, 

 2,080, &c.) to .80 (specimen No. 2,083). 



Before closing my remarks on this subject I should call attention to the 

 fact of the repetition of the same character, described in slightly different 

 language, that so constantly occurs in diagnoses of the different species of 

 the same genus, of different genera of the same sub-family, &c., and even 

 of characters of ordinal value in specific descriptions, in the writings of 

 even some of the best naturalists; — to the mixing up of non-essential or 

 irrelevant characters with, and thus obscuring, those peculiar to the group 

 in question. Sometimes, in fact, the really essential points are omitted, 

 the diagnosis being almost as equally applicable to several species, or to 

 any of quite a large group, as to one. All naturalists are not, of course, 

 equally culpable in this respect. But in general, by silting descriptions 

 of their generalities, they could be greatly reduced and their definiteness 

 and accuracy proportionally increased. The labor of preparing diagnoses 

 would of course be thus increased, but the advantages arising therefrom 

 would be immense. I am not the first, I am happy to find, to make stric- 

 tures of this character, and hope that the matter will soon receive at the 

 hands of descriptive' naturalists the consideration it merits. Neither, I 

 should say, are these strictures introduced at this time as a special criti- 

 cism upon any particular author. 



Blarina brevicauda. 



Sorex brevicaudus Say, Long's Exped., I, 1823, 164. 

 " " Harlan, Faun. Arner., 1825, 20. 



" " Godman, Am. Nat. Hist., I, 1831, 79. (From Say.) 



" " Baciiman, Journ. Phil. Acad. Nat. Science, VII, 1837, 



381. 

 " " Emmons, Quad. Mass., 1840, 13. 



" " l)t; Kay, N. York Fauna, I, 1842, 18. 



