ss 



time the ice is breaking up in the river. On March 11, 

 1884, an adult male was secured in the Cove.' 



In Long Island Sound this Seal is occasionally seen dur- 

 ing the winter. I have seen the skin of one that was shot 

 near Rye Beach during the winter of 1897 by Mr. John 

 Farrel, who then resided at Hastings. In winter I have 

 seen numbers of seals in Lower New York bay, where they 

 are called ' Sea Dogs.' It is probable that in early times they 

 regularly ascended the Hudson River and were common 

 every winter. 



Cystophora cristata (Erxleben). Hooded Seal. 



I quote the following from Mr. Miller 10 (p. 357): 'The 

 hooded seal has been taken in New York on one occasion 

 only. It is a mere straggler to the coast of the United 

 States, though it has been known to wander as far south as 

 Chesapeake Bay.' DeKay 5 says (p. 56) : 'This description 

 was taken from an adult male captured near Eastchester 

 about fifteen miles from the city.' 



Sorex personatus I. Geoffray St. Hilaire. Masked Shrew. 



Personally, I have never met with the Masked Shreiv in 

 Westchester Co., and include it in my list on the strength of 

 Dr. Fisher's 6 Sing Sing records. He says (p. 194): ' The 

 common shrew is rather rare and is the only one of the long- 

 tailed species found in the neighborhood. Its scarcity, how- 

 ever, may be only apparent, and due wholly or in part to our 

 lack of skill in former days, in trapping it successfully. The 

 majority of specimens were secured from birds of prey. On 

 one occasion, April 18, 1885, two were found in the stomach 

 of a red-tailed hawk.' 



Blarina brevicauda {Say). Short-tailed Shrew. 



This is the common shrew of Westchester Comity found 

 both in the woods and in the fields. They breed exclusively 



