MR. M. A. C. HINTON ON HEBRIDEAN MAMMALS. 



825 



Description. — The size and proportions are about as in 

 S. araneus castaneus, but average slightly larger than in north 

 British specimens of the latter. 



Colour. — Adults have the upper side deep blackish brown, 

 perhaps darker than " clove-brown " * ; slightly grizzled on the 

 upper side of the head and neck with brown ; the under side is 

 silveiy or smoky grey rather than yellowisli or brownish as in 

 castaneus, and this colour runs far up the Blanks and shows up in 

 contrast to the dark upper side. Between the colours of upper 

 and under sides a narrow, inconspicuous, grey-brown flank-band 

 intervenes ; rarely it is " wood-brown,'" in which case it contrasts 

 more sharply with the back. Nos. 72 & 76 (23 & 26 April) are 

 TQOulting into a scarcely less dusky summer coat, but some speci- 

 mens taken in May and Nos. 157, 161, & 165 (3, 5, & 8 August) 

 are in a lighter brown coat, between " seal-brown " and " clove- 

 brown," somewhat as in *S'. a. castaneus, with a flank-band near- 

 " wood-brown." These specimens are no doubt immature and the 

 brown pelage is that of immaturity. 



Cranial and dental characters. — The skull agrees in form and 

 size with that of S. a. castaneus, but attains rather larger dimen- 

 sions than skulls of the latter species from northern Britain and 

 the Inner Hebrides {vide Table, p. 828). The teeth agree in form 

 with those of S. araneus ; but the posterior unicuspid (p. 3) tends 

 to disappear as shown by the following statistics : — 



p. 3 present on both sides in 

 ,, ,, on one side only in 



absent on both sides in 



7 individuals, i.e. 43*7 per cent. 

 4 „ „ 25^ „ 



D , , , , o L ' o , , 



Text-fi^. 136. 



Right upper tooth-row oi Sorex grantii. X 8^. 



When p. 3 is absent the four remaining unicuspid teeth appear 

 to be somewhat enlarged in compensation (text-fig. 136). There 

 is no trace of pigment on the hypocones of the upper cheek-teeth 

 nor on protocone of the last upper molar. 



By colour and dentition *S'. grantii is clearl}^ diflferentiated from 

 all European members of the genus Borex. iSome of these, such 

 as araneus araneus and araneus tetragonurus, have the back as 

 dark, but none shows the conspicuously contrasted sides. 



* The names of colours in inverted commas are from Ridgway. 



