CROCIDURA. 1 75 



ridges become defined. This being the case, it will probablv 

 be found that the young of these adolescent mothers a/e 

 fSr '■ "^ tliose produced by the larger fully mature 



The young of this large shrew are born with none of their 

 teeth through the gums, but at the same time the teeth are 

 well developed, the gum forming a sharp ridge over the 

 incisors and intermediate teeth to the second premolar the 

 mcisors rapidly piercing the gum, their tips showing before 

 the eyes have opened, and the large cusp of the second pre- 

 molar rapidly following them. 



Even before the eyes are opened, the young shrew is most 

 active in its movements, rushing about in a wild way and 

 snapping at everything that may touch it, its mobile snout 

 being m constant motion. The head in the young state 

 bears a very large proportion to the size of the trunk 



The gland on the side is situated nearly half-way 'between 

 the fore and hind limbs, in a line with the head of the 

 humerus, or nearly so. Around the gland, the fur is rather 

 sparse but its position is indicated by the existence of narrow 

 short hairs arranged in two lateral bands which arch inwards 

 and meet over the middle of the gland, the two bands bein^ 

 continuous behind the gland, and their hairs at that point 

 arching forwards. These glands are equally developed in 

 the male and female. In the very young shrew the musky 

 odour emitted by this gland is hardly perceptible, but it is 

 overpowering m the adult. It is, therefore, probably a means of 

 bringing the sexes of this nocturnal animal together, as their 

 sight cannot be very keen, whereas it is evident that their 

 sense of smell is acute, or it may protect them against their 

 enemies. 



There is a distinct sac beyond the true termination of the 

 rectum, opening by a puckered orifice nearly i of an inch 

 within the sac : on either side of the rectal orifice, but below 

 it, there is a deep pit, doubtless the orifice of a compound 

 anal gland. ^ 



The Sorex ccerulescens, Shaw (General Zooloffv vol 1 

 part 2, 1800, p. 533), is founded on Pennant's shrew' 

 or shrews from Java and the East India Islands, and on the 

 Musaraigne Musquee- de I'Inde of Buffon, which Shaw 

 stat^ was brought from Bengal by Sonnerat, whereas M. 

 Ixeoflroy bt. Hilaire, who also apparently described this species 

 as S. tndicus, informs us (Ann. du Mus. d'Hist. Nat., t. 17 

 1811, p. 183) that his type had been originally described by 

 Buffon as the Musaraigne de I'Inde (Hist. Nat. Supp] t vii 



