144 ORDER IV. 



the eyes are extremely small ; it swims with great 

 facility, but is slow on land. The colour is brown, 

 white beneath. According to Pallas, the Desman 

 does not occur in Russia proper, but is abundant 

 to the south in the Volga, at about Woronetch. 

 There is a species in Europe, the 



M. pyrenaica. Pyrenean Desman. With the 

 tail longer, hairy, cylindrical, excepting towards 

 the tip, where it is compressed ; fur brown above, 

 grey beneath ; claws much more powerful. Of 

 this species, found near Tarbes in France, the man- 

 ners are wholly unknown. 



Genus SOREX, Linn. The Shrews. The shrews 

 are, in general, small, some even are among the 

 smallest of mammalia ; on each flank, beneath the 

 fur, they have a narrow band of bristly hairs, stiff 

 and close, from among which, in the pairing season, 

 exudes from a particular gland an odorous humour. 

 They live in holes dug by themselves, seldom appear- 

 ing abroad except towards night, feeding on worms 

 and insects. Dent. form, incis. interm. f, false 

 canines or lateral incis. f-f or f-f, true molars, f-f 

 = 28 or 30. The ears are short and rounded ; 

 eyes very small ; toes weak ; mammaa six ; tail 

 sometimes tetragonal, at others compressed towards 

 the end.* 



* Mr. Gray arranges the Sorices in the following order : 

 A, LAND SHREWS. Tail simple ; feet not ciliated on the 



sides. 



1. Corsira. Front lower cutting teeth sharp edged, toothed 



above ; tail with short close pressed hairs. 



