SOBEX CJEBUIESCENS. 53 



all the old continent. Several genera have been formed of late, founded 

 on some peculiarities of dentition. 



Gen. SoKEx, Linnwus, as restricted. 



Syn. Pachyura, De Sblys Longchamphs. — Crocidura, Wagner. 



CAan— Upper front teeth large and strongly hooked, and much longer 

 than their posterior spur ; inferior incisors entire, or rarely so much as a 

 trace of a serrated upper edge ; following those in the upper jaw are four 

 teeth anterior to the scissor-tooth, the first large, the next two much 

 smaller, the third exceeding the second, aud the fourth diminutive. Teeth 

 generally wholly white. Ear-conch very distinct. Tail thick and taper- 

 ing, and furnished with a few long scattered hairs, which certain species 

 likewise exhibit upon the body. 



This genus includes the majority of those shrews that inhabit tropical 

 countries. Some of them do not appear to be furnished with the musk- 

 gland. 



69. Sorex cserulescens. 



Shaw. — Blyth, Cat. 244. — S. indicus, giganteus and Sonnerati, Geof- 

 FEOY. — S. myosurus, Gray, figd., Hardwickb, 111. Ind. Zool. — Chac- 

 hundar, H. — Sondeli, Can. — Musk-rat of Europeans. 



The Common Musk Shrew. 



Descr. — Of an uniform bluish-ash or pale gray color, very slightly 

 tinged with ferruginous, and most so on the under parts; naked parts 

 flesh-colored. 



Length, head and body, &\ol\ inches ; tail, 3 J to nearly 4. The skull 

 of an adult male, according to Blyth, If ; caudal vertebrae, 24 in number. 



This appears to be the common musk-rat of almost all India, frequent- 

 ing houses at night, and hunting round rooms for cock-roaches or any other 

 insects, occasionally uttering a sharp, shrill cry. It will, however, not re- 

 fuse meat, for it is sometimes taken in rat-traps baited with meat. It is 

 popularly believed in India that the musky odour emitted by this shrew is 

 so volatile and penetrating, that if it pass over a corked bottle of wine or 

 beer, it will infect the fluid within ; and certainly many bottles are met 

 with in this country quite undriukable from the musky odour. I much 

 doubt, however, the possibility of infection in this way, and think it much 

 more probable that the corks of such bottles were inpregnated previously 



