236 soricid.t:. 



Habits. Tho brown musk shre\\^ is chiefly found in woods, but 

 occasionally enters houses, and specimens have been captured about 

 stables and similar buildings in some of the Himalayan stations. 

 The musky smell, although very strong in adults, is not, as a rule, 

 so powerful and offensive as that of C. ccemlea. The food consists 

 of various insects, larvae, worms, and probably of any smaller 

 mammal or bird. I have taken one in a rat-trap baited with meat. 



The natives in parts of India regard this shrew as poisonous, 

 but there is no foundation for the belief. 



118. Crocidura caerulea. The grey musl- Shrew. 



Sorex cferuleiis, Kerr., An. Kijjg. p. 207 (1792). 



Sorex pilorides, Shaw, Mus. Lever, ii. p. 31 (1796), 7iec Mus piloridos, 



I'al/as. 

 Sorex cferulescens, S/iaw, Gen. Zoo/, i, p. .533 (1800) ; B/i/t/i, J. A. S. 11 



xxiv, p. 25 ; id. Cat. p. 82 ; Jerdon, Mam. ]). 53. 

 Sorex iiidictis and capeusis, Geoffr. Ann. du Mus. xvii, pp. 183, 184 



(1811). 

 Sorex sonneratii and giganteus, Is. Geoffr. Mem. du Mus. xv, pp. 132, 



137 (1827). 

 Sorex myosuius, Gray ^- Hardxv. 111. Ind. Zool. i, pi. ix, nee Pallas. 

 Sorex muriniis, Ilodyson, A. M. N. II. (1) xv, p, 209 (1845) ; Ke- 



laart, Prod. ]i. 30, nee L. 

 Crocidura (Pachvura) \valdeuiarii, ceylauica, and media, Peters, MB. 



Ah. Berl. 1870, pp. 590, 591, 592. 

 Crocidura (Pachvura)fulvo-ciuerea«?^f/siudensis, Anderson,!. A. S'.B. 



xlvi, pt. 2, ppl 263, 266. 

 Crocidura ciBruIescens ami beddouiei, Anderson, Cat. pp. 171, 179. 



Chachundar, H. ; Chtindi, Kol ; SondeU, Can. ; Kandcll. Mai. ; Ivttne- 

 miijo, Cingalese ; Anaidihca-yayur, Kafchniiri ; Kyrcek-tsilt, Burmese ; 

 Musk-rat, of Anglo-Indians. 



U])per teeth 18. This, the common musk shrew (or, ns it is 

 usually called, nnisk-rat) of India, only differs from C. murina in 

 larger size and in coloration, and it is very doubtful if either of 

 these distinctions is constant. The fur is short, the tail thick at 

 the base, and both it and the feet very thinly clad with hair, a few 

 scattered longer hairs on the tail. 



Colour usually bluish grey, paler below, the fur sometimes wilh 

 ferruginous brown tips, especially on the hinder part of the back. 

 Occasionally specimens are found of a rufous-fawn tint above, grey 

 below. Young specimens are dark slate-grey. Skin of the snout, 

 ears, feet, and tail flesh-coloured, and hairs on the feet and tail 

 white or nearly white. 



Dimensions. A full-grown male measures about 6 inches from 

 nose to vent, tail 3'5, hind foot 1, basal length of skull 1-4. 

 Eemales are considerably smaller in general. A very large male 

 measured about 7 inches from snout to vent, tail Sg. The tail 

 yarit^s in length coiisideral)ly. 



I'arieties. Anderson classes as distinct varictii^s th(> form origin- 

 ally named by him C. aindensis, Mhich is smaller than tlu; typical 



