ANUROSOREX. 93 
This is identical with the European Alpine shrew ; the Sorex caudatus 
of Horsfield’s Catalogue (No. 148), which was a specimen named by 
Hodgson, is also the same animal. 
GENUS ANUROSOREX. 
Remarkably for its large head, nude, scaly extremities, and extremely 
short, nude, scaly tail. “ The structure of the ear, limbs and tail has 
special reference to a burrowing animal—the ear being valvular, so 
that it may be effectually closed against the entrance of foreign 
substances, and the feet devoid of hair, but scaly, and the tail reduced 
to very small dimensions. ‘The eye is also excessively small, and buried 
deep in the dense silky fur. The hind feet, contrary to what is almost 
invariably the case in burrowing mammals, are larger than the fore feet.” 
—Anderson. 
No. 149. ANUROSOREX ASSAMENSIS. 
The Assam Burrowing Shrew. 
Hapitat.—Assam, Thibet. 
DescripTion.—General colour dark slaty, faintly washed with 
brownish rusty on the long hairs of the rump; fur long and silky, 
longest over the rump ; occasional long brown hairs with pale tips are 
scattered over the body; long whiskers, yellow claws; naked parts of 
snout, limbs and tail flesh-coloured. 
Size.—Head and body nearly 3 inches ; tail, } inch; forefoot, 3 inch ; 
hind foot, ? inch. 
The skull and dentition of this animal are essentially soricine. The 
Thibetan species (4. sgwamipes) is described as being over four inches in 
length, of a greyish colour, with a greenish-brown tinge; feet and nails 
whitish. It lives in burrows which it digs in the earth. I think it should 
properly come after the moles, which it resembles in some particulars, 
FAMILY ERINACEIDA—THE HEDGEHOGS. 
The molar teeth broad; the hinder ones nearly square, the tubercles 
on their upper surface rounded; the other teeth are three incisors on 
each side, of which the inner one is considerably larger than the rest ; 
behind these, separated by a little gap, come three premolars oradually 
increasing in size, then one having much the appearance of a true 
molar, but furnished with a cutting edge ; then three molar teeth, two 
of which are nearly square with strong tubercles. The last molar is 
