SOBICULUS. 229 



Teeth tipped ivith reddish Iroivn ; this wears off to a great extent 

 in old animals and sometimes disappears entirely, but traces can 

 generally be detected : i. =f, c. ^ pm. f=f, m. 1=30. Middle 

 upper incisors with the anterior cusp bifid, the inner point short 



Fig. 63. Incisors, canine, and premolars of Soriculiis nigrescens. (Dobson, 

 Mon. Ins., from an unpublished plate.) 



and small, lateral incisors and canine subequal in size, anterior 

 premolar minute. Lower anterior incisors elongate, running back 

 beneath the two next teeth and bearing a small projecting knob 

 above, just in front of the next incisor ; lower premolar bicuspid. 



Vertebra : 0. 7, D. 12, L. 6, S. 5, C. 17. The osteology is 

 briefly described by Anderson in his Catalogue of the Mammalia. 

 He shows that Soriculus presents some resemblance to Talpa, 

 although the pelvis resembles that of Crocidura, not that of 

 Anurosorex. 



Soriculus is the only representative in India of the brown- 

 toothed shrews, which are, with this exception, confined to the 

 Pala-arctic and Nearctic regions, and include Sorex, Crossopus, and 

 Blarina. 



Synopsis of Indian and Burmese Species. 



A. Second upper incisor smaller than third; tail 



about half the length of the head and body. . 8. nigrescens, p. 229. 



B. Second upper incisor larger than third. 



a. Length of tail about equal to that of head 



and body S, caudatus, p. 230. 



b. Length of tail about half as much again as 



that of head and body & macntrus, p. 231. 



114. Soriculus nigrescens. The Sikhim Irown-toothed SJireiv . 



Corsira nigrescens, Gray, A. M. N. H. x, p. 201 (1842). 



Sorex aterrinius. Blyth. J. A. S. B. xii, p. 928 (no description) ; xxm, 



p. 733. 

 Soriculus nigrescens, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxiii, p. 733 j xxiv, p. 36 ; 



Jerdon, Mam. p. 59 ; Anderson, Cat. p. 204. 

 Sorex sikkimensis, Hodgson, A. M. N. H. ser. 2, in, p. 203 (1849) 



(no description): xvi, p. Ill (1855) ; Horsfield, Cat. p. 136. 



