SWIMMING-SHRE W—GYMNURAS — TREE-SHREWS 165 



Swimming- The Himalayan swimming-shrew (Chimarrogale himalayica) 



shrew. resembles in its habits the European water-shrew, inhabiting the 



banks of mountain-streams, where it runs over the stones on their beds. 



It swims well, and is said to live on water - insects and small fishes. In 



length it is about 4i inches, its tail measuring 3 inches. It is slaty grey 



above with bright blackish brown to the tips of the hairs, and pale brownish 



grey below. 



The gymnuras, which are allies of the hedgehogs, but without 

 Gymnuras. . . , ,. ~. T . „ „ . . , ., 



spines, are mainly peculiar to Malaya. One or the two largest is the 



long-tailed gymnura {Gymnura rafflesi), which inhabits the Malay Peninsula, the 

 south of Tenasserim, and the island of Sumatra. This species has a long head, 

 with a pointed muzzle, rounded ears, well-developed claws, and a naked rat- 

 like tail. It attains a length of 14 inches, with a tail about three-quarters as 

 long as the body. In colour it is white and black, the head and neck being white, 

 with the exception of a black spot on the crown and over each eye, and the rest of 

 the body is black. The arrangement of colour varies greatly, however, and in 

 Burma these animals have in many cases a white tip to the tail, while the Bornean 

 G. alba is white all over. Gymnuras are exclusively nocturnal, feeding principally 

 on cockroaches, ants, and larvae ; they exhale a peculiarly disagreeable, garlic-like 

 smell. The short-tailed gymnura (Hylomys suilla) is a much smaller animal, of 

 less than 5 inches in length, with a very abbreviated tail. It ranges from 

 Burma, Tenasserim, and the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Borneo, and Java. A 

 third genus is represented by the Philippine Podogymnura truei. It is allied to 

 Gymnura and Hylomys, and has a long hind-foot and a stout tail rather more 

 than a third the length of head and body. 



Very characteristic of the Malay countries are the tree-shrews, 

 Tree-Shrews. 



which are somewhat squirrel-like animals, although with the elongated 



muzzle and sharp-cusped cheek-teeth characteristic of the Insectivora generally. 

 They are practically unique in the group in their diurnal and arboreal habits. A 

 well-known example is the Malay tree-shrew ( Tupaia ferruginea), which measures 

 nearly 8 inches to the root of the tail, the tail itself being about 9 inches long. 

 Its colour on the upper-parts varies from yellowish and brownish to deep rusty 

 red, the under-parts being white. The range of this species includes Burma, the 

 Himalaya as far westward as Nepal, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and 

 Borneo. Tree-shrews live both in forests and bamboo-plantations, as well as in 

 bushes or trees near villages. They feed on insects and fruit, and, according to 

 native reports, small birds and mice. When feeding, they sit up on their hind-legs 

 and hold their food with the fore-feet, licking their palms at the end of the meal, 

 and also smoothing down their coats with their claws. They drink often, and not 

 unfrequently bathe. In disposition they are pugnacious, fighting among them- 

 selves when in captivity. When agitated they utter shrill cries, their usual call 

 being a short jerky whistle. A very remarkable member of the group is the pen- 

 tailed tree-shrew (Ptilocercus lowi), of Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, a mouse- 

 like creature, with an inordinately long tail, of which the greater portion is nearly 

 naked, but the extremity ornamented with two ridges of long hair arranged like 

 the vanes of a feather. 



