ORDER CARNASSIER. 183 



It 'seems likely that all the Shrews which visit the water 

 participate more or less in this sort of organization ; and 

 it is more probable that this conformation determines the 

 habits of these little animals, and the preference which 

 they give to marshy grounds, rather than any disposition 

 of the hairs of the toes, as has hitherto been believed. 



The Shrew of India (Sorex lndicus) has been described 

 by Buffon, in the seventh volume of his Supplement, and 

 figured in his 71st plate. 



It is considerably larger than the Shrews of Europe, but 

 notwithstanding this, it perfectly resembles them in all 

 essential characters, such as the teeth, toes, and length of 

 muzzle. Its hair is altogether extremely short, and of a 

 grayish brown, tinted with reddish at the top, because the 

 point of each individual hair is of this colour. All the 

 teeth are white. The round tail indicates that it is a ter- 

 restrial animal ; and Buffon, in fact, informs us that it 

 inhabits the fields, from whence it sometimes comes even 

 into the houses. Its presence is soon betrayed by the strong 

 odour of musk which it exhales. 



According to M. Geoffroy, the Sorex Murinus ought to 

 be referred to this species. 



The Cape Shrew (Sorex Capensis) must not, according to 

 Geoffroy, be confounded with the preceding animal. It is 

 no doubt approximated to it in size, in the colour of the 

 teeth, in the rounded and thick form of the tail, in the 

 magnitude and nakedness of the ears, and in the musky 

 odour which it exhales. But, nevertheless, there are dif- 

 ferences which appear to be essential. No Shrew has a 

 longer and slenderer muzzle, and its tail which is but one 

 half shorter than the body, is in proportion much longer 

 than that of the Indian Shrew. The tail is likewise of a 

 different colour, being red, and quite contrasted with the 

 colour of the fur ; its surface is covered with hairs that 

 appear shorn, with a few silky hairs intermixed. 



The entire fur is ash-coloured, excepting on the back, 



