UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS 



IN 



ZOOLOGY 



Vol. 10, No. 9, pp. 179-195, figs. 1-6 March 20, 1913 



THE SPECIES OF THE MAMMALIAN GENUS 

 SOREX OF WEST-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 



WITH A NOTE ON THE VERTEBRATE PALUSTRINE 

 FAUNAS OP THE REGION 



JOSEPH GRINNELL 



the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California) 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 



Introduction 179 



Key to the shrews of west-central California 181 



Cranial measurements 182 



Sorex vagrans vagrans Baird 183 



Sorex halicoetes, sp. nov 183 



Sorex californicus C. H. Merriam 185 



Sorex sinuosus, sp. nov 187 



Sorex montereyensis montereyensis C. H. Merriam 188 



Sorex montereyensis mariposae, ssp. nov 189 



Sorex pacificus Baird 190 



Note on the palustrine faunas of west-central California 191 



Literature cited 195 



INTRODUCTION 

 Insectivores are surprisingly scarce in most parts of Cali- 

 fornia as compared with the eastern United States. The aridity 

 of the Pacific district, especially as concentrated into the long 

 dry season, seems to be the deterrent factor ; for within the state 

 named we find a remarkably close parallel between amount of 

 rainfall and degree of abundance of shrews and moles. Thus 



