Mammalia, 27 



P. pachypus, and in point of size conies veiy near to P. tenuis^ 

 which, however, is distinguished from it hj its much blacker tint, 

 and the complete absence of the rufous tinge which is noticeable 

 to a greater or less extent in all the specimens of the present 

 species. In P. tenuis also the outer incisor is stouter than the 

 outer cusp of the inner. P. indicus is brighter- coloured and some- 

 what larger. 



The measurements of this species are as follows : — 



Type Head and 



Specimen. 



Body. 



Tail. 



Ear 





Hind- foot. 



Forearm. 



$ ... 



36- 



5 mm. . 



. 29*5 mm. . 



. 10 mm. 



.. 7 



mm. ... 



31 ram. 



l.$ ... 



35 





. 29 ,, .. 



. 9-5 





. 6-5 





30 „ 



a.^ ... 



36 





. 29 ,, .. 



. 10 -o 





.. 7 





32 ,, 



..? ... 



34 





. 29 ,, .. 



. 8-0 





.. 6 





32-0 ,, 



^.$ ... 



36 





. 30-5 ,, .. 



9-0 





.. 6-5 





81-5 „ 



.. ? ... 



36 





. 30 „ .. 



. 9 





.. 6-5 





31-0 „ 



The above measurements are taken from spirit specimens. The 

 length of the tail is given approximately only. 



The following measurements are from freshly-killed specimens :— 





Head and Body. 



Tail. 



Ear. 



Hind-foot. 



Forearm. 



$ 



... 35 mm. ... 



? mm. . 



9 mm. 



... 6 mm. . . 



. 31 mm. 



$ 



... 40 „ ... 





.. 10 „ 



... 7 „ .. 



32 „ 



o 



+ 



... 38 „ ... 



30 „ . 



.. 11 „ 



... 6 „ .. 



30-5 ,, 



? 



... 38 „ ... 



31 „ . 



.. 10 „ 



... 8 „ .. 



31 „ 



? 



... 35 „ ... 



? 

 J J 



.. 9 „ 



... 6 „ .. 



31 „ 



3. Crocidura fuliginosa, Blyth, var. trichura, Dobson. 



SorexfuliginosKs, BMh: Journ. Eoy. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, xxiv, p. 362. 

 Crocidura faliginosa, var. trichura, Dobson: P.Z.S., 1888, p. 532. 



The Christmas Island shrew was described by Dobson as a local 

 variety of Crocidura fuUginosa (Blyth), a species occurring in the 

 Eastern Himalayas, Assam, and Tenasserim. His description is as 

 follows : — 



" This variet}' differs fi'om the tyi)ical form in the much greater 

 length of the tail, which also, unlike most specimens of that species, 

 is beset with long fine hairs. 



" In the shape of the skull and teeth and in all other characters 

 it so closely resembles tj'pical examples of C. fuUginosa that I 

 hesitate to consider it more than a local variety of that species." 



The specimen which Dobson took as type seems to have possessed 

 an exceptionally long tail, some 1 mm. longer than the head and 

 body. In. most of my specimens measured in the flesh the tail is 

 shorter (in one case \)j 10 mm.) than the head and body, and in one 

 or two specimens only is it slightly longer. IS'evertheless, since in 

 all the specimens from the island the tail differs from that of the 

 typical form in being thickly covered with fine hairs, it will be 

 best to retain Dobson' s varietal name trichura. 



