70 



REVISION OF AMERICAN MOLES— TRUE. 



I 



fourth claws snbequal and longest; first and fifth, equal and much 

 shcn-ter. Chiws long, thick, blunt ; convex above, flat or concave below. 

 Hind leet narrow, about three times as long as broad; their length 

 exceeding that of the fore feet. Upper surface hairy; sole obtusely 

 granular, with one well-defined tubercle about 

 in the middle of their length. 



Toes short, subequal, the first and fifth much 

 farther back than the other three and witli 

 shorter claws. Claws compressed and pointed. 

 Tail two-thirds the length of 

 the head, thick, cylindrical, con- 

 stricted at the base and well 

 clothed with long hairs, which 

 nearly conceal the skin. 



Eyes concealed in the fur, 

 miiuite, and covered by mem- 

 brane. No external ear; audi- 

 tory orifice comi^aratively large 



(about 3.5 mm. long) ; much larger than in Scalops 

 aq>(((ticu.H; oblong, with the long axis directed ob- 

 liquely downward anteriorly. 



Character of the fur as in Scalops aquaficns. Gen- 

 eral color dark brown, with grayish and silvery reflec- 

 tions; darker and browner than in Scalops aquaticus. 

 Under surfaces a little lighter than the upper sur- 

 faces. Tail, backs of feet, and base of snout dark 

 brown, changing with age to mingled brown and white, and finally 

 to pure white. Claws, pale. 



Young, silvery gray, with dusky feet and tail. 



Adult males with a more or less pronounced rusty .suffusion around 

 the wrists and at the extremity of the lower jaw. 



/■ 



25. 



HIND FOOT OF PARASCALOPS 



BREWERI. 



Fig, 24, Lower surface. Fig. 25, Upper 



surface. 



( 1 '-i times natural size, ) 





TAIL OF PARASCALOPS 

 BREWEKI. 



(Natural size.) 



SKULL. 



Skull depressed and conical. Occijiital broad, well advanced on the 

 upper surface of the skull. Parietal very large and broad, triangular, 

 more or less acute anteriorly. Frontals convex, narrowed anteriorly, 

 and extending a consideralde distance along the nasals, but not joining 

 the premaxilhi'; their lateral extensions form almost the entire anterior 

 part of the orbital region. Nasals elongated, wedge shaped; their pos- 

 terior half extending backward between the frontals, almost to the 

 parietals; anterior extremities obliquely truncated and overlaid by the 

 premaxilkx' so as to appear very narrow in adult skulls. Lachrymal 

 linear. Palatal surface of nnixilliie concave, with a sagittal median 

 groove. Palate emarginate behind, termiimting o])posite the last molar. 

 Pterygoid juocess snmll. Lasisplienoid inflated, Tymi)anics annu- 

 lar. Zygomatic arch slender, directed obli(piely upward posteriorly. 



