SOREX SERPENTABIUS. 55 



This species was formerly considered by Blyth to be the same as muri- 

 nus, but in his Catalogue he places them separately. There are no speci- 

 mens, however, of this shrew in the Calcutta Museum. It inhabits 

 Nepal, only in woods and coppices, says Hodgson, not entering houses. 

 In the late edition of the Catalogue of his Collection, he also gives it 

 from Sikim, and states that there are specimens in spirits in the India 

 House Museum from the latter country. 



Sorex Griffithii, Horsfield, is a nearly allied species to S. murinus, from 

 the Khasia hills, distinguished, according to Tomes, by its large teeth, 

 deep blackish-gray, glossy, and rather coarse fur, and by its small ears. 



Length, head and body, 5| inches ; tail, 2 T 5 aths. This ought to be 

 compared with Hodgson's species. 



72. Sorex serpentarius. 



Is. GEOFFROY. BLYTH, Cat. 248. S. kandianus, KELAART. 

 THE RUFESCENT SHREW. 



Descr. Above, dusky-slate colour, with rufescent tips to the fur; 

 beneath, paler, with a faint rufous tinge about the breast ; ears, mode- 

 rately large ; limbs, small ; tail, slender ; teeth, small. 



Length of one, head and body, 4 inches ; tail, 2^. Another, head 

 and body, 4J ; tail, 2 ; foot, f|ths. 



This musk-rat has been found, within our province, only in Southern 

 India, but it is common in Ceylon, and extends into Southern Burmah 

 and Mergui. It has been taken on the Malabar coast, but is said to be 

 more common on the east coast of Southern India, at about Tinnevelly. 

 Kelaart, who calls it the common godown musk-rat of Kandy, says that 

 its odour is quite as offensive as that of ccerulescens. 



Blyth has described Sorex heterodon from the Khasia hills, like 

 serpentarius, but smaller and with stouter limbs. He elsewhere likens 

 it to S. soccatus. 



73. Sorex saturation 



HODGSON, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 2nd series, XVI. 110. 



THE DARK-BROWN SHREW. 

 Descr. Colour, uniform deep brown inclining to blackish, with a very 



