20 NEW-YORK FAUNA. 



Description. I have not had an opportunity of examining this species ; but as it has been 

 found in Connecticut, it will in all probability be detected in this State. We subjoin the 

 description given by Say, the original describer : " Body above brownish cinereous, beneath 

 " cinereous ; head elongated ; eyes and ears concealed ; whiskers long, the longest nearly 

 " attaining the back of the head ; nose naked, emarginate ; front teeth black, lateral ones 

 " piceous ; feet whitish, five-toed ; nails prominent, acute, white ; tail short, sub-cylindric, of 

 " moderate thickness, slightly thicker in the middle, whitish beneath. Length of head and 

 " body, 2-4; of tail, 0'75." 



Richardson, p. 8, states that a specimen obtained at Behring's Straits, is probably to be 

 referred to this species: " Dark brownish grey above, and grey beneath ; length of head and 

 " body 2-3, tail fO." 



Mr.. Linsley, Op. sup. cit., describes his parvus with the following dimension : " Head and 

 " body 2"0, tail 0"75." In a letter to me, January, 1842, he states, " though a trifle shorter 

 " than your Otisorex platyrhinus, it was larger in bulk ; nevertheless it could not have weighed 

 " over 50 - 60 grains, the otisorex weighing 47 grains. The pm'vus, I am satisfied, could 

 " not have been the young of dekayi or hrcvicaudus, from his peculiar construction being 

 " wholly unlike either of the other three species ; besides, I have both tlie old and young of 

 " the latter." 



FORSTER'S SHREW. 



SOHEX FORSTERI. 



PLATE XXI. FIG. 3. 



American Shrew. FoESTER, Phil. Trans. Vol. C2, p. 3, 381. 



Sorex foTsteri. Richardson, Zool. Jonr. 1828. Gappar, Zool. Jour. Vol. 5, p. 201. 



Forster's Shrrw-mouse. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 6. 



Sorex forsleri. Bachman, Ac. Sciences, Vol. 7, p. 386, pi. 24, fig. 0. 



Characteristics. Small ; dark cinereous, tipped with brown ; beneath cinereous. Fur short. 

 Ears broad and hairy. Tail nearly as long as the body. Length four 

 inches. 



Description. Body slender. Nose elongated and divided at the tip. Ears somewhat shorter 

 than the fur, and concealed beneath it. Whiskers long, and white and black. Fur fine and 

 short. Feet slender, with five white and slender. toes. Tail foursided, with a slight pencil 

 of hairs at the tip. Teeth piceous at the tips, as in the most of the species. Dental formula : 

 Incisors, |; cheekteeth, -j-f = 32. The two medial incisors above, with a lobe behind; 

 beneath, the two medial incisors with two obtuse lobes. 



Color. Fur, for two-thirds of its length, dark ash above, and brown at the tips ; beneath, 

 lighter ash. Feet flesh-colored, with short yellowish white hairs. Tail dark brown above, 

 soiled white beneath. 



