;o6 



MAMMALS OF AMERICA 



little lighter below ; some of the hairs more lustrous 

 than others giving a hoary appearance. Young : Similar 

 to adults. 



Measurements. — Total length. 5.5 inches : tail ver- 

 tebrae, 1.5 inches; hind foot. .7 inch. 



Range. — Fraser River. British Columbia, west to 

 Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains, south to Shasta 

 County. California. 



Food. — Insects and worms. 



Remarks. — The Shrew Mole appears to be a con- 

 necting form between the Shrews and the Moles but is 

 rather more mole-like and is consequently placed in the 

 Mole family. That it has not reached such a high 

 degree of specialization as the large Moles is at once 



apparent from an examination of the fore feet, 

 arc three subspecies. 



There 



Rel.\ted Subspecies 



Shrew Mole. — Ncurotrichus gibbsii gihbsii (Baird). 

 Typical animal as described above. Pacific Coast of 

 Xorth America from Fraser River. British Coluiubia, 

 to northern California. 



Big Shrew Mole. — Xcurotrichus t/ihbsii major 

 Merriam. Larger, tail longer, feet larger, under- 

 parts darker. Mount Shasta region, California. 



Hyacinthine Shrew Mole. — Xcurotrichus i/ibbsii 

 liYaciiithinus Bangs. Larger than the Shrew Mole: 



black with green and purple reflections. 

 California. 



Marin Countv. 



This is the smallest of all .American Moles. 

 The snout terminates in a naked disk or pad ; 

 the ear o])eniiig is large; and the tail is long and 

 thick, and sjiarsely covered with coar.se hairs. 

 The fore feet are not so handlike as those of the 

 other Moles, and the toes are not webbed. It is, 

 in fact, a connecting link between the Moles and 

 the Shrews, as its name indicates. It occupies 

 a separate genus, called Neiirolrichus. 



This little animal is found in the extreme 

 southwestern part of British Columbia, western 

 Washington, and Oregon west of the Cascade 

 Mountains, south in the coast region to Eureka, 

 California, and also in the interior. 



According to Jackson, " the little Nciirolri- 

 cliiis prefers a dani]) habitat and is seldom found 

 far from swamps, marshes, or streams. In the 

 extreme southern part of its range it is most 

 frequently found in swampy places overgrown 

 with sedges or shrubs. Farther north its habitat 

 is less confined and it is found along streams or 

 even in moist dense woods." 



The tunnels of the Shrew Mole resemble 

 those of the Star-nosed Mole more than those 

 of others, and it S])ends a great deal of its time 

 under logs or in surface runways. Its tunnels 

 are very like those of the eastern Pine Mouse, 

 being often open above for some distance. 



Photograph from the West Va. University Experiment Station. 



BREWER'S MOLE 



About two-thirds natural size. This animal does not eat potatoes or other 

 vegetables, but feeds extensively on earthworms and white grubs 



