SORICID-E. — CLXXXVIII. 325 



b. Fore-feet not enlarged; muzzle elongate; external ear developed; appear- 

 ance mouse-like Soricid.e, 188. 



bb. Fore feet very broad, with stout claws adapted for digging; no external 

 ear Talpid.e, 189. 



Family CLXXXVIII. SORICID^E. (The Shrews.) 



Small Insectivora, mouse-like in appearance, with the eyes and 

 external ears developed. Muzzle elongate. Feet normal, not 

 fossorial ; the fore-feet mostly smaller than the hind ones. Teeth 

 1 6 1 '° a 2 ° ; canines obsolete. The most abundant and widely dis- 

 tributed family of the Insectivora, comprising more than half the 

 known species, arranged in 8 genera. The number of species of 

 Blarina and Sorex is still uncertain, and the geographical distribu- 

 tion of the species has been little studied. 



a. Feet very long, with a fringe of hairs; ears valvular (to exclude water) ; 

 concha (external ear) directed backwards; tail long; teeth §§=32. 



Neosokex, 556. 

 aa. Feet not fringed. 



b. Ears large, the concha turned backward Sorex, 557. 



bb. Ears small, not visible externally, the concha directed forwards, so as to 

 hide the opening; tail short, not longer than head. . Blarina, 558. 



556. NEOSOREX Baird. (V<o, to swim ; Sorex.) 



10G3. N. palustria (Richardson). Water Shrew. Hoary 

 black; belly ashy gray; largest of our shrews. L. 6. T. 2\. 

 Mass. to Rocky Mts. and X. Aquatic. 



557 SOREX Linnaeus. (Lat., a field-mouse.) 



a. Teeth colored, 32 = f J ; feet large. (Sorex.) 



b. Third upper premolar larger than fourth. 



10C4. S. forsteri (Richardson). Ears small ; tail § length of 

 head and body; snout slender. L. 4£. T. If. X. U. S., S. to 

 Penn. (To John Reinhold Forster.) 



1065. S. richardsoni Bachman. Ears rather small; tail scant- 

 haired. L. 4. T. \\. Wis. and X. (To Sir John Richardson.) 



1066. S. platyrhinus (DeKay). Common Shrew. Shrew 

 Mouse. Ears very large for a Shrew; tail short, scant-haired; 

 color chestnut-brown. L. 3f. T. l£. X. U. S., rather common. 

 (irXaTin . broad ; plv, snout.) 



bb. Third upper premolar equal to fourth and smaller than first and second. 



106 7. S.cooperi Bachman. Ears large ; chestnut brown. L. 3f . 

 T. \\. Mass. to Xeb. and X. (To Dr. J. G. Cooper.) 



1068. S. personatus Geoffroy St. Hilaire. Ears large ; chestnut 

 brown. L. 2f. T. 1. Smallest of our Shrews; Penn. and S. 

 (Lat., masked.) 

 aa. Teeth 30 = \\; feet small. (Microsorex Baird.) 



