12 



TALPID^— TALPA 



authority of the various collectors. The sex of the specimens has not 

 been given here, as such determinations are frequently unreliable. 

 Service {Trans. EdinburgJi Field Naturalists and Mici'oscopical Society, 

 vi., i., 64, 1907-8) states that males are larger than females, the maximum 

 total length known to him for each sex being about 195 and 156 

 respectively, but these figures were quite exceptional, and the average 

 for females would be about 140. Adams also finds males larger ; 

 adults measured by him have had the head and body varying between 

 140 and 127, while young in the nest have reached 1 18. Three females 

 averaged for head and body 133, tail 33, and hind foot 20. 



The table following, for which I am indebted to Adams, indicates 

 the rate of growth of young examined in the nest from the first to the 

 twenty-second day after birth (see also Mem. and Proc. Manchester Lit. 

 and PJiilosoph. Soc, liv., 2, 9, 1909): — 



Skull : — Condylar basal length, 34 to t,^ ; greatest breadth at zygoma, 

 12 to 13; greatest breadth of brain-case, 14-8 to 17-8; greatest inter- 

 orbital breadth, 8-2 to 8-8 ; breadth of rostrum over canines, 4-8 to 5 ; 

 depth of brain-case through bulla, io-2 to io-6; length of mandible^ 

 22 to 23-4; length of upper tooth-row, excluding incisors, i2-8 to 13-4; 

 length of entire lower tooth-row (alveolar), 13 to 13-2. 



Weights: — Eagle Clarke sends me the following weights in 

 grammes of thirteen Scottish specimens taken near Edinburgh: — 8i-6 

 (19th September) ; 74-5 (3rd October) ; 121-5, ^ i-7. 1 10"8, 101-7, 95-2, 91, 

 88-5, 86, 82-2, 77-5, 68-5 (9th November). Several were no doubt 

 immature, but, since 100 grammes = 3-6 oz., the larger measurements 

 agree with Aflalo's statement that the average weight of adults is just 

 under 4 oz. One weighed by Kinnear reached 80-64 grammes. 



