60 SORECIDiE. 



the body ; feet and claws pale ; fur short, smooth, delicately soft, closely 

 adpressed. 



Length, head and body, 3^ inches ; tail, 1^ ; hind foot, |ths. 



This shrew is very common in Sikim, and also occurs in Nepal. I 

 found many dead on the roads at Darjeeling without any appai-ent injury. 

 The same has been noticed of the common shrew of England, and no 

 satisfactory explanation has been given. An allied species fi'om Ceylon 

 has been named Corsira newera-ellia by Kelaart, which ought perhaps 

 to occur on the Neelgherries. 



Gen. Crossopus, Wagner. 



Syn. Hydrosorex, Duvernoy. 



Char. — The hind feet large and ciliated ; tail compressed and ciliated 

 beneath towards its extremity ; otherwise as in the last. 

 The water-shrew of Eui-ope is the type of this division. 



83. Crossopus himalaicus. 



Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1842, 2G1. — Oo7ig lagniyu, Lepch. — 

 Choopitsi, Bhot. 



The Himalayan Water-sheew. 



Descr. — Fur dark-brown or blackish above, somewhat paler beneath, 

 and rusty-brown on the lower part of the throat and the middle of the 

 belly ; fur rather long, with scattered long white-tipped hairs ; a few on 

 the sides, many on the rump and round tlie root of the tail ; ears very 

 small, hairy, concealed ; tail long, slender, with a brush of hairs at the 

 tip, and ciliated with rigid whitish hairs beneath ; feet distinctly ciliated ; 

 claws very short ; whiskers elongate, brown. 



Length, head and body, 5 inches ; tail, 3^ ; hind foot nearly fths. 



Another measured 6 inches; tail, 3| ; hind-foot, i.ltlis. 



I procured this water-shrew at Darjeeling, from the Little Rungeet 

 river, where it is said not to be uncommon, and its aquatic habits are 

 well known to the natives, who distinguish it by a distinct name, signi- 

 fying water-shrew. It is said to kill small fish, tadpoles, water-insects, 

 &c. It is not recorded among Hodgson's collections, though I imagine 

 he must have procured it in Sikim, and probably one of his undescribed 

 species may be referred to this. 



Crossopus fodiens, Pallas, is the well-known water-shrew of Europe ; 

 and there are other species from North America and Japan. 



