292 Dr, A* Hall on the Mammals and Birds 



S. palustris. American marsh shrew. (Richardson.) 

 >S'. Richardsonii. Baird ! 



D.c. Length 5j- inches. Far dark coloured, soft and close, 

 presenting a silky appearance ; ash coloured below. Feet paler 

 than the back, and a little hoary ; nails whitish ; tail rounded, 

 subtetragonous, and covered with short close hairs ; upper lip 

 whiskered; muzzle naked, bilobed ; eyes visible; ears imbedded 

 in the fur. Found in the neighbourhood of swamps, feeding on 

 insects, worms and tender roots. 



S. Forsteri. Forster's shrew. 



S. tetragonurus. Geoffrey & Desmartes ! ! 



S,fodiens. Cuvier ! 



D.c. Length 2^ inches. Fur greyish brown above, yellow- 

 ish brown beneath ; tail tetragonous, tufted at its extremity ; 

 muzzle slender, bilobed ; whiskers long, composed of a few white 

 hairs intermixed with black ones ; ears as long as the fur, per- 

 ceptible. More common than the former species, extending to 

 67*^ N.L. Its tiny footsteps are often seen on the snow in winter. 



Genus Scalops. 



Gen. char. Incisors |, conical teeth fl, molars || = 30. Head 

 long, conical, terminating in a flexible cartilaginous snout ; two 

 outer conical teeth larger than the centre one; molars bristled; 

 external ear scarcely perceptible: feet short, 5-toed ; anterior very 

 broad, having all the phalanges except the last, united by a 

 strong membrane ; eyes very small. 



S* Canadensis. Shrew mole. 

 S. aquaticus. Linnaeus ! 

 TaJpa fusca. Pennant ! 

 Blarina talpoides. Baird ! 



v.s.p. Length Y inches. Fur brownish black, velvety, 

 rather paler on the forehead ; limbs short and concealed by the 

 fur of the body ; fore legs extended under the auditory apertures. 

 The toes in consequence of their membranous connection, form a 

 broad palm, admirably adapted to burrowing ; tail thick, short 

 and tapering, sparingly covered with hair ; snout long and linear, 

 projecting about J inch from the incisors, naked above, pubescent 

 below, furrowed the whole length above, and about half the dis- 

 tance inferiorly. 



