THE SHREW-MOUSE. 325 



Description, &c. 



white; and is about the size of a marmot. It 

 seems to have been first described by Mr. Pen- 

 nant, from a specimen deposited in the Leverian 

 Museum. 



THE SHREW-MOUSE. 



THE shrew-mouse seems to form a shade in 

 the order of diminutive animals, and to fill up 

 the interval between the mole and the rat; which 

 though they resemble each other in size, differ 

 materially in form, and are a totally distinct 

 species. 



This animal is smaller than the common 

 mouse, and in its snout, which is much longer 

 than the jaw-bone, it resembles the mole: its 

 eyes are black and larger than those of the latter 

 animal, but they are in like manner concealed, 

 and much smaller than those of the mouse. It 

 has a short bare tail, small rounded ears, two 

 upper fore-teeth of a singular construction, hav- 

 ing a small barb on each side, almost impercep- 

 tible, and five claws on each foot. 



The colour of the shrew-mouse, is in general, 

 p. reddish brown, but some are of an ash colour ; 

 and all of them are white under the belly. 



The shrew-mouse does not seem to exist in 

 America, but is a native of most parts of Europe. 

 Jn Great Britain it generally resides in barns, 



