ee 
Counties of Aberdeen, Banff, and Kincardine. 47 
brought to me by my pupil Mr Charles Barclay, on the 7th November 
1843. 
Another adult individual, a female, sent from near Turriff, by my 
pupil Miss Murray, in October of the same year, may now be described, 
as shewing the difference produced by abrasion of the pile, which was 
much worn, with the ciliz of the feet and tail quite short and stiff. In 
the teeth and general characters it exactly resembled the above. The 
long hairs projecting from the pile nearly all worn off. The fur on all 
the upper parts black, with the hairs bluish at the base, on the lower 
parts greyish-white, with a faint tinge of brown on the abdomen; all the 
hairs above and below greyish-blue at the base. On the throat, at the 
distance of an inch from the tip of the snout, is a round greyish-blue 
spot, seeming black by contrast, a quarter of an inch in diameter ; at the 
coming off of the fore-legs, two similar small spots; and a triangular 
patch of the same between the tail and the interfemoral space; the tail 
brownish-black, a little paler beneath. These differences appear to de- 
pend upon abrasion or decay of the fur. There is a tuft of white on 
each ear, but no white near the eyes. The number of teats is ten. 
The dimensions of the two individuals are here given, tegether with 
those of another female and a young male. 
MALE. FEMALE. FEMALE. YOUNG MALE. 
In. 1. In. 1. In. 1. In. 1. 
Entire length, 5 4 5 6 5 8 5 0 
Length of head, bul kod 1 2 1 0 
Length of tail, . 2 2 2:0 m3 2 2 
Length of fore-foot, 0 5 0 52 O Sf 0 4} 
Length of hind-foot, . 0 8h 0 84 0 8& 0 73 
Skull in length, 0113 =r 0 114 0 10 
Skull in breadth, OS “ 0 5} 0 43 
A young male, in perfect pile, caught near Collieston, in September 
1845, differs in its proportions. In the old male the body is longer than 
in the young; and in the old female the body is proportionally longer, 
and the tail relatively and positively shorter; whereas in the young the 
tail is longer than in either, in proportion to the size of the body. These 
circumstances are observed in other Shrews, as well as in Mice. 
The body subcylindrical, rather full; the head oblong, conical, one- 
third of the length, excluding the tail, which is a little longer than the 
body, excluding the head; the snout long, tapering, considerably de- 
pressed, emarginate at the tip, grooved beneath. The ears are very 
short, rounded, internally lobed. The eyes, limbs, and tail, as in the 
adult. The fur is close, soft, and rather velvety but not so dense or fine 
as in the adult. On the upper parts it is brownish-black, on the lower 
greyish-white, the two colours blended on the sides. The long spreading 
bristles on the snout are black. A tuft of white hairs from the upper ante- 
rior lobe of the ear. The feet dusky, the marginal hairs grey; the hairs 
of the tail brownish-black, those forming the ridge beneath whitish ; the 
claws greyish-white. The teeth, as already described, white, with the 
tips brownish-red, except the basal lobe of the upper canine tooth. 
This beautiful and lively little creature resides in the neighbour- 
hood of brooks and ditches, where it burrows in the ground, and fre- 
quently betakes itself to the water, where it swims and dives with 
great expertness. It is also met with in fields, often at a great dis- 
tance from water. Its food consists of insects and worms; and it 
appears to be very voracious, like the mole, which it resembles in 
its restless and irritable temperament. The young individual de- 
