the smaller British Mammalia. 263 



this Magazine*, seems decidedly inclined to consider them 

 as but one species ; and until lately I was myself strongly 

 disjjosed to embrace the same opinion. In the early part, 

 however, of the summer of 1840, Mr. Henderson, of Milton 

 Park, in Northamptonshire, was kind enough to send me 

 two specimens of the common Martin, killed in that neigh- 

 bourhood, both of which were young animals, and had pro- 

 bably been bred that year, as the milk-teeth had not yet been 

 supplanted by the permanent set, and the bones of the head 

 were very loosely united : nevertheless these individuals had 

 the craniimi larger and heavier than that of an adult specimen 

 of the Pine Martin in Mr. YaiTcll's collection, who also showed 

 me several other crania of both species, of different ages, and 

 satisfied me that they were distinct. At the same time it is 

 evident, from the united observations of several naturalists, 

 that the colour of the breast is no distinguishing character, 

 and probably dependent upon either age or season. Mr. 

 Eyton is of opinion that the breast is yellow in the young 

 and white in the adult ; and this would be confirmed by the 

 specimens above alluded to, in both which this part was bright 

 yellow tinged with orange. 



These individuals were of the same size, and measured 17 

 inches in length, exclusive of the tail, which was not quite 9. 

 The length of the cranium was 3 inches 4 lines ; its breadth 

 across the zygomatic arches 1 inch 10 lines 5 its weight 4 

 drachms 38 grains. 



(5.) Sorex rusticus, and S. Hibei'nicus. — Since the pub- 

 lication of my paper on the British Shrews f, in which I 

 first noticed the S. rusticus, and the Irish variety which I 

 provisionally termed S. Hibernicus, I have been favoured by 

 Mr. W. Thompson of Belfast with the opportunity of exa- 

 mining a large number of specimens of this last kind obtained 

 in Ireland, and am quite satisfied as to its being a distinct 

 species from the S. tetragonurus, but not from the H. rusticus, 

 which I had previously obtained in this country, and of which 

 I have since procured other specimens. In future, therefore, 

 these two species, the S. rusticus and the S. Hibernicus, must 

 be considered as the same ; and I should have continued the 

 former name in preference to the latter, as being, on the whole, 

 more eUgible, but for the circumstance of several specimens 

 of this shrew having been transmitted to naturalists, abroad 

 as well as at home, under the title of S. Hibernicus, and the 

 probability that, if it be now changed to that of rusticus, 

 it may entail some confusion. I have to request, therefore, 

 that the name Hibernicus be hereafter adopted for this species, 

 which, though not confined to Ireland, seems to be the com- 

 * No. 33, Dec. 1840, p. 290. f Ann. of Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 417. 



