COMMON AMERICAN SHREW MOLE. 83 



as if attached directly to the shoulders ; snout, naked, cartilaginous, and 

 very flexible, extending five lines beyond the incisors ; the under surface 

 projects a little beyond the nostrils, which are oblong, and open on the 

 upper surface near each other ; mouth, large, and ^vhen open resembling 

 somewhat (although in miniature) that of the hog ; eyes, concealed by 

 the fur, apparently covered by an integument, and so minute, that they 

 can with great difficulty be found. The orifice in the skin in which the 

 eye is placed, is not of larger diameter than would admit .a bristle. No 

 external ear ; there is, however, a very small circular aperture leading to 

 the ear, about three quarters of an inch behind the eye. The fore-arms 

 are concealed by the skin, and the palms only are visible, they are 

 broad, and might be thought not unlike hands ; they are thinly clothed 

 with hair, and bordered with stiff hairs ; the fingers are united at the 

 base of the claws ; nails, large, slightly curved, nearly convex above, 

 and flattened on the inner surface ; hind-feet, small and slender, naked 

 on the under surface, and apparently above, although a close inspec- 

 tion shows the upper surface to be covered with fine short hairs; nails, 

 small, a little arched, and compressed ; tail, short, round, appears naked, 

 but is very sparingly clothed with short adpressed hairs. On the inside 

 of the thighs, near the tail, is a gland, about half an inch long,~from 

 which a disagreeable musky odour issues, w^hich makes the animal of- 

 fensive to delicate olfactories. All our other shrew moles, possess simi- 

 lar glands, and we have perceived the musky smell still remaining'strong 

 in skins that had been prepared and stuffed several weeks. 



Snout and palms, in the living animal, pinkish flesh-colour ; chin, feet, 

 and tail, dull white ; hair on the body, about five lines in length, very soft, 

 smooth, and lustrous ; for three-fourths of its length, plumbeous; tips light- 

 brown, giving the surface of the hair, above, a dark-brown colour, which 

 varies in different lights, sometimes exhibiting black, silver-gray, or pur- 

 ple, reflections. 



There are many variations in the coloring of different individuals of 

 this species, but none of them permanent : we possess some specimens 

 which are nearly black, and others of a light cream-colour ; we also have 

 a specimen, the tail of which, is clothed with short hairs, with a consider- 

 able tuft at the extremity. From these, and similar differences in various 

 other animals, it is not surprising that authors have described in their 

 works, many as new, which on being closely examined afterwards 

 prove to be mere accidental varieties of some well-known species. 



