28 



INSECTIVORA 



of skull iibout 34' 5 to 35 • 5 mm. ; colour apparently not so dark 

 as in the Pyrenean race. 



Colour. — Upper parts essentially as in G . pyrenaicus pyrenaicus, 

 but slightly less dark, the general hue somewhat leaden. Longer 

 hairs on rump distinctly buffy. Pale area around eye larger and 

 more noticeable than in the p3'renean foi'ui. 



Measurcvienfs. — Three males from Silos, Burgos, Spain : head 

 and body, 123, 131 and 134 ; tail, 135, 145 and 156 ; hind foot, 

 36, 38 and 38. For cranial measurements see Table, p. 27. 



Specimens examined. — Six, five froin Silos, x'rovince of Burgos, Spain, 

 and one from Buitrago, province of Madrid (U.S.N.M.). 



Hemarhs. — The central Spanish form of Galemys appears to 

 be well differentiated from true pyrenaicus by its greater size, 

 a character which is particularly noticeable in the larger, 

 more massive skull. Two specimens from the Asturias (Xos. 8. 

 2. 9. 47-48, Pajares, Leon, N. Gonzalez, collector) are apparently 

 identical with the Pyrenean animal. 



When in the water this animal shows much less agility 

 than the water-rat and watei'-shi-ew, probably because, though in 

 appearance the most perfectly adapted of the three to aquatic 

 life, it retains too much of its Talpine inheritance of shortness of 

 limb and heaviness of gener'al form to be an active swimmer. 

 Its defective vision, inherited from the same source, would also 

 tend to a like result. 



2 ? sks. Silos, Burgos ; Spain. Eev. S. Gonzalez (c). 8. 7. 7. 8-9. 

 6, 2 sks. Silos. G. S. Miller (c). 8. 8. 4. 43-45. 



Family SORICIDyE. 



1821. Soricidx Gray, London Med. Eepos., xv, p. 300, April 1, 1821. 



Geographical distribution. — Throughout tropical and temperate 

 Africa, Europe, Asia (including the Malay Archipelago), North 

 America, and the extreme northern portion of South America. 



Characters. — Skull long and narrow, strongly tapering an- 

 teriorly', most of the sutures disappearing early in life ; zygomatic 

 arch incomplete, represented by a slight though usually evident 

 I'udiment of the zygomatic ^^rocess of maxillary ; floor of brain- 

 case with median longitudinal bridge of bone and wide lateral 

 fenestrate area on each side, in which auditory parts are sus- 

 pended ; tympanic bone annular-, not attached to skull ; basi- 

 sphenoid without auditory process ; no external pterygoid plate : 

 mandible with complete double articulation ; anterior teeth not 

 differentiated by form into incisors, canines and premolars, the 

 first upper incisor very large, strongly projecting forward, its 

 tip hooked downward, its base with a secondary lobe, the anterior 

 lower incisor nearly straight, much i)roduced in axis of mandible, 

 the other anterior teeth foi'ming a series of small " unicuspids,' 

 differing from each other chiefly in size : crowns of upper molars 



