22 2 NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE SORECID^. 



compressed in front of the molariform teeth, narrowest opposite 

 the third unicuspid, Unicuspid series nearly parallel. Molariform 

 series abruptly divergent. Alveolar border of maxillary deeply 

 and somewhat angularly concave, the fifth unicuspid lying at the 

 bottom of the concavity. Interpterygoid canal actually and rela- 

 tively much broader than in either Sorex or Ncosorcx (in this re- 

 spect resembling Crossopus), its lateral parietes nearly parallel. 

 Horizontal ramus of the mandible stout and slightly convex. 

 Coronoids large and high, divergent outward and inclining forward. 

 Styliform angular processes much shorter than in the other genera. 

 Depth of the rostrum (including closed jaw) equal to that of cere- 

 bral portion of cranium. 



Hind foot more than one-fourth as long as head and body; mod- 

 erately fimbriate. Tail nearly as long as head and body. 



ATOPHYRAX BENDIRII sp. nov. 



Bendires Shrew. 



DIAGNOSIS. 



Size large ; tail nearly equal to head and body; muzzle attenu- 

 ate, depressed sub-cylindrical. Unicolor : above sooty blackish- 

 brown, fading imperceptibly into dark ashen-brown on throat and 

 breast. Tail well haired, pencilled, absolutely unicolor. Ratio of 

 hind foot to length of head and body about 26. 



First and second unicuspids subequal ; third and fourth smaller 

 and subequal to each other ; fifth smallest, but nearly half as large 

 as fourth, not crowded, provided with a conical, colored cusp. 

 Lower incisor with two prominent denticulations ; its visible base 

 extending posteriorly to a little beyond the first succeeding tooth. 



DESCRIPTION. * 



(Adult male, alcoholic.) 



External characters. — Size large; total length 150 mm.; head 

 and body 76 mm.; tail, vertebrae 68 mm., to end of hairs 74 mm.; 

 manus 11 mm.; pes 20 mm. 



Unicolor : above sooty blackish-brown, darkest over flanks and 

 hips, fading imperceptibly into dark ashen-brown on the throat and 

 breast.f No trace of line of demarkation on either body or tail. 

 Tail colored like back ; upper and lower surfaces indistinguish- 

 able. Chin soiled white. Feet same color as body. Whiskers 



* With a few exceptions the generic characters already enumerated are not here repeated. 



f Viewed in certain lights the animal has a somewhat " peppery" appearance, which is due to 

 the admixture of two kinds of hair: the longer with a nearly black awn-sliaped enlargement at the 

 tip ; the shorter, a coarse fur, of uniform size throughout, and brown tipped. 



