U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS ZOOLOGY GENERAL REPORT. 



BLARINA, Gray. 



Marina, GRAY, Pr. Zol. Soc. London, 1837. 

 Brichysorex, DCTERNOT, Mag. do Zool. 1842. 

 Talpasortx, LEMON. 

 Cryptotis, POMEL, 1848. 

 .ino/u5, WAGNER, 1855 



Body stout ; tail shorter than the head, or nearly equal to it, coated with short bristly hairs, and a small brush at the tip. 

 Hands large in proportion to the feet ; palms as broad or broader than the soles. Soles usually hairy at the heels. Fore claws 

 longer than the hinder ones. Ears small, the antitragus and antihelix more developed than the helix, all directed forward 

 and closing the meatus, so as to exhibit no opening nor any external ar whatever. Skull short and broad ; truncated 

 at tip and much lew attenuated anteriorly than in the eared shrews. The anterior upper incisor, with the points simple, or 

 without an internal lobe ; the teeth rarely in contact. Lower angular process of lower jaw rather stout and short 



The short-tailed American shrews constitute what appears to be a very natural genus, en 

 tirely different from any inhabiting the old world. The short tail not longer than the head, 

 and the apparently total want of ears are among the most striking external features. In the 

 natural state it requires close examination to ascertain where the ear is situated, as it is directed 

 completely forward and applied against the entire meatus like a valve. 1 The hair on what is 

 thus the external surface of the ear is equally dense with that on the rest of the head and of the 

 same length. It is this peculiarity that has caused authors to describe some of the species as 

 without ears, especially Sorex carolinensis of Bachman, upon whose description Wagner has made 

 a subgenus Anotus, and others Cryptotis. There is, however, no difference in this respect in all 

 the short-tailed species, and the above names are strictly synonymous with Blarina of Gray, 

 and Brachysorex of Duvernoy. 



The species of JBlarina, like those of Sorex, are divisible into two sections, according as the 

 teeth are 32 or 30 in number ; in the former case there are five premolars, in the latter there are 

 four. The formula of the first section is incisros, \ ^ ; premolars, jjj^ ; molars, ^ = 32 ; 

 of the second in., ~ ; premolars, ^ ; molars, ^ = 30. In no American shrew of this genus, 

 or any other, have I found fewer than 30 teeth, or more than 32. 



In the following diagnoses are given more in detail the peculiar characters of each section: 



SECTION A, WITH FIVE UPPER PREMOLARS. 



Color, a nearly uniform plumbeous on body and tail ; scarcely lighter beneath. Dental 

 formula ---L._-L._ 3= 32 teeth. The upper anterior incisor with the basal portion of the 

 cutting edge formed by a nearly rectangular lobe, the entire tooth forming only a single hook. 

 The first two premolarg are nearly equal, the second usually a little larger ; the next two much 

 smaller ; the fifth very small, and usually not visible externally. The first four with a small 

 basal colored point on the inner side. Lower anterior incisors stout, much curved, with two or 

 three lobed dentations. The first and second premolars are placed above this incisor, which 

 even extends back as far as the middle of the first molar. Hands contained about one and a 

 third times in the hind feet. 



' Throughout the article on Sara I have erroneously used the term concha to indicate the flap of the ear, instead of auricU, 

 Hnd Mix inetaui of antihdii. 



