SORICULUS NIGRESCENS. 59 



Sorex sihimensis, S. homourus, S. oligurus, S. macrurus, S. holo- 

 sericeus, and another, No. 94, without a specific name, which, in the 

 copy sent me by that gentleman, is marked on MSS. as S. tenuicauda. 

 All these are from Darjeeling, but unfortunately skins of few of these 

 appear to have been preserved. Besides those previously alluded to from 

 Ceylon, S. ferrugineus and S. montanus, Kelaart ; >S'. Kelaarti, Blyth ; 

 S. lyurpurasceiis, Templeton ; and aS'. Horsfieldii, Tomes, ai'e on record 

 from Ceylon. Blyth has described *S'. fidiginosus and aS'. nudipes from 

 Tenasserim, and *S'. atratus from the Khasia hills, the two latter species 

 being pigmy shrews. The same naturalist has described S. albinus from 

 China. A shrew from Central Asia, S. indclieUus^ has been described 

 by Lichtenstein, which is said to have only two intermediate teeth, be- 

 tween the upper incisoi's and the scissor-tooth, and has been made the 

 type of Diplomesodon, Brandt. Sorex araneus of Europe belongs to this 

 group, and there are many from Africa, some of which are said to have 

 only three intermediate teeth in place of four. 



Gen. SORICULUS, Blyth. 



Char. — Teeth white, tipped with ferruginous or pitch-colour ; upper 

 quasi-incisors much larger than their posterior spur (as in the last) ; the 

 lower incisors with a single posterior spur, more or less rudimental ; of 

 the foui' lateral intermediate teeth which follow the incisors, the first two 

 equal, the third somewhat smaller, and the fourth minvite ; tail, slender, 

 tapering, mouse-like, with no scattered hairs on it ; ears concealed amid 

 the fur ; hind feet of ordinary form. 



One species only of this group occurs in the Himalayas. 



82 Soriculus nigrescens. 



Gorsira apud Gray. — Blyth, Cat. — S. sikimensis, Hodgson apud HoRS- 

 FiELD, Cat. — S. aterrimus, Blyth. — S. soccatus, Hodgson, Cal. Jour. 

 Nat. Hist. lY. 288. — Tang-zhing, Lepch. — Ting-zhing, Bhot. 



* The Mouse-tailed Shrew. 



Descr. — Above dai'k-blackish, or blackish-brown, slightly tinged ru- 

 fescent, and with a silvery cast in certain lights ; beneath, grayish-black ; 

 snout long, regulaiiy attenuated, with few lateral hairs ; body, abruptly 

 terminated behind ; tail, slender, rigidly straight, naked, half as long as 



