156 SOKICID^. 



"Annals and Magazine of Natural History" for 1841, 

 when speaking of Sorex ciliatus, says : " I have seen so 

 many intermediate specimens, in point of colour, hetween 

 this and the last species [S.fodiens), that I consider it 

 extremely doubtful whether they be distinct." In 1845 

 we received at one time as many as eighteen specimens, 

 which had been all taken in a low and moist meadow by 

 the side of the Warwickshire Avon, near to the village 

 of Welford. Of these, one had the uniform black 

 colour of S. ciliatus, and six had the well-defined black 

 and white of S.fodiens, whilst the remainder presented 

 every intermediate shade in the colouring of the under 

 parts. In a few there was a slight yellowish tinge on 

 the breast. A careful inspection showed that all those 

 having the under parts white, had teeth of a very 

 dark-brown colour, and unworn, whilst in those which 

 had those parts clouded or blackish, the teeth light 

 yellowish brown in colour, and considerably worn. 

 These examples were taken during haymaking, and in 

 the harvest of the same year, four others were brought 

 to us which had been taken by some mowers in a barley- 

 field at Welford Hill, about a mile from the meadow 

 above mentioned, consisting of dry sandy soil, and 

 considerably removed from any water. In these indi- 

 viduals the black of the upper parts was graduated into 

 pale grey beneath, strongly stained and spotted with 

 yellowish chestnut on the throat and breast, and in all 

 of them the teeth were much worn, and pale in colour. 

 We were at the time led to suspect, from the worn con- 

 dition of the teeth, that the colouring of the under 

 parts might be due to age and season, and to this 

 opinion we still adhere, notwithstanding that we have 

 met with a few — though but a few — similar specimens 



