176 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



furnished with several sharp conical points, the ordinary 

 character of insectivorous cheek-teeth. 



The feet of the Shrews are completely divided, while 

 those of the Desmans are palmate. They are pentadacty- 

 lous, and the nails are short, curved, pointed, and elevated. 

 It remains to distinguish the species of so natural a 

 genus, by characters, not of the highest order it is true, 

 but still by characters very certain and important, as the 

 reader will be very easily convinced, from our subsequent 

 observations. 



Since we are assured that this little sub-genus of animals 

 is composed of several species, it becomes necessary to in- 

 quire what is the common Shrew, and to consider as not 

 yet determined, the Sorex Araneus of Naturalists. It would 

 be natural to have recourse to Hermann for the characters 

 of this species, who has given them, comparatively, in refe- 

 rence to the head species, which he described. But in 

 his article on this subject, in his " Observations Zoolo- 

 gies" he found himself involved in so much doubt and ob- 

 scurity, that he has actually declared that he did not pre- 

 cisely know the animal of which he was speaking. The 

 " Tresor" of Fabre, who attributes a red fur to this spe- 

 cies, increases our perplexity concerning it tenfold. The 

 description, indeed, of Fabre, which applies to another 

 Sorex, must be put altogether out of the question. 



The fur of the common Shrew, is a of a mouse-coloured 

 gray, paler underneath, and bordering on fawn-colour, in 

 some individuals of a smaller size, though perfectly adult. 

 In others, a little stronger and larger, it partakes more of 

 brown. The first kind is supposed, by M. GeofFroy, to be 

 characteristic of the males, and the second of the females. 

 We own, that we should have hazarded a different opinion. 

 The hairs, in their entire length, are ash-coloured, except- 

 ing at the point, where they are reddish. The little points 



