238 SOKICID.E. 



clad, with longer hairs intermixed ; feet large, the fore feet with 

 very large claws, which are nearly twice as long as those on the 

 hind feet. Fur moderately long and soft. Ears small, hairy, 

 scarcely visible beyond the fur. Upper surface of the feet hairy. 



Lower front incisors slightly serrated above. The dentition 

 generally is verv similar to that of C. murina. 



Colour dark slaty grey above, \vith rufous-brown tips to the hair 

 of the back, below rather paler ; tail and feet dark ; in the type 

 specimen the tip of the tail was whitish. Claws white. 



Dimensions. Head and body 4| inches, tail 2,], hind foot with 

 claws J> claw of middle finger | inch long according to Blyth. A 

 not quite mature female in spirit measures : snout to vent 3*5 

 inches, tail 2-25, hind foot (without claws) 0-65, middle fore claw 

 0-2, height of ear from orifice 0-3. 



Distribution. This well-marked shrew was first found by Kelaart 

 at Nuwera Ellia, in Ceylon. Recently a specimen has been re- 

 ceived at the British Museum from the Palni hills in Southern 

 India. 



Habits. Kelaart suggests that C. macropus may be a water-shrew ; 

 but there is nothing apparent in the structure to support this view. 

 The long fore claws do not appear particularly adapted for digging. 

 A shrew belonging to this species was kept alive by Kelaart for 

 some time and fed upon earthworms. 



120. Crocidura Indiana. Bidies Shrew. 



Crocidura (Tachyura) bidiana, Anderson, J. A. S. B. xlvi, pt. 2. p. 276 



(1877) ; id. Cat. p. 185. 

 Crocidura (Pachyura) stoliczkana, Anderson, J. A. S. B. xlvi. pt. 2. 



p. 270. 



Upper teeth 18. This is very like a small C. murina^ but is dis- 

 tinguished by the pes or hind foot from the heel being double the 

 length of the man us or fore foot from the wrist, instead of only 

 one and a half times the length, as in all allied forms. Ears 

 moderate, round, and rather hairy. Tail long, not much swollen 

 at the base. Fur long, fine, and dense. Through the remarkably 

 wide space between the canine and the second premolar nearly the 

 whole of the small first premolar is visible. There is a small 

 tubercle inside the basal cusp of each anterior upper incisor. 



Colour reddish brown above and below, the under surface with a 

 greyish gloss, basal portion of all hairs dark slaty. Snout, ears, 

 and feet pale reddish brown, tail darker. 



Dimensions of a nearly adult male : snout to vent 3'2 inches, 

 tail 2-6, hind foot 0-8, height of ear 0-37. 



Distribution. The type was from Madras, and a young specimen 

 from Bombay, originally distinguished as C. stoliczkana, was after- 

 wards referred to this species by the describer. 



The description is taken from Anderson's and from some notes 

 given to me by Dobsou. I have not examined the specimens. 



