42 



U. 8. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS ZOOLOGY GENERAL REPORT. 



List of specimens. 



BLARINA BREVICAUDA. 



Sort* brericaudus, SAY, Long's Exped. I, 1823, 164. 



HAIU.AV, Faun. Amer. 1825, 29. (Skin only.) 



GODMAN, Am. Nat. Hist. I, 1831,79. (2d ed. From Say.) 



WAGNER, Suppl. Schreb. V, 1855, 549. (From Say.) 



BACHMAN, J. A. N. Sc. Ph. VII, 1837, 381. 



ADD. & BACH. N. A. Quad. Ill, 1854, 335. 



Sp. CH. Largest of all American shrews hitherto discovered. (?) Head very broad and massive ; rather obtuse. Tail, with 

 iU hairs, about as long as the head, cylindrical, slightly depressed, well covered with hair, and terminated by a pencil. Un 

 der surface of heel more than usually hairy, with a narrow naked line on the inner edge. 



Color, dark brownish plumbeous, scarcely paler beneath. Feet and edge of the lips, whitish. Length, unstretched, over 

 4 inches to root of tail. Hind feet, 0.5 long. Fore feet, .50 inch. Skull 1 inch in length. 



In the preceding diagnosis, I have embodied nearly all I have to say concerning the form of 

 the only alcoholic specimen before me, referable to the B. brevicauda. It is, unfortunately, too 



