112 SORICID^— SOREX 



In the Inner Hebrides it is known at least from Skye (Steele Elliott) ; 

 Eigg (Harvie-Brown and Buckley); Tiree (Eagle Clarke, Ann. Scott. 

 Nat. Hist., 1898, III); Sanda and Great Cumbrae (Boyd Watt); and 

 Ailsa Craig (Kinnear, Ann. Scott. Nat. Hist., 1907, 49). In the English 

 Islands it is known from Anglesey (Coward) ; Wight (Wadham, 

 Thomas); Scilly (Chubb); and Lundy; in the latter it is probably 

 numerous, specimens having been shown me by Joy and by Coward 

 and Oldham (see Coward, Mem. and Proc, Manchester Lit. and 

 Philosoph. Soc, Hi., L, No. 6, 3-4, loth December 1907, published 22nd 

 January 1908). 



It frequents the highest mountains of Britain to their summits, 

 having been taken at the observatory on Ben Nevis, at an altitude of 

 some 4400 feet (Feilden, Ann. Scott. Nat. Hist., 1897, 42); on 

 Longmynd, Shropshire, at over 1 500 (Forrest, MS.) ; and in Coiynafearn 

 deer forest, Inverness-shire, at 2000 feet (C. H. Alston, Ann. Scott. Nat. 

 Hist., 1909, 114). 



Distribution in time and status : — Judging by its distribution, the 

 Pygmy is an older species in Britain than the Common Shrew; but 

 this is not as yet borne out by the facts at present available regarding 

 its history in past geological times ; for it is only known in Britain from 

 the latest pleistocene deposits (Ightham fissures). The remains from 

 the late pliocene Forest-Bed and other old deposits formerly assigned 

 to it belong, as Hinton has shown, to extinct forms, and have nothing 

 to do with .S". minutus. In its dentition, its lesser size and its more 

 elongated body, it seems to be more specialised than S. araneus ; but 

 its comparatively low plasticity — since it ranges in almost indistinguish- 

 able form throughout a vast area of continental Europe, Asia, and 

 America — and the fact that it wears throughout life a pelage correspond- 

 ing to that of the juvenile Common Shrew, certainly point to a more 

 ancient species. 



Description : — Although in general structure and appearance the 

 Pygmy Shrew at first sight closely resembles the preceding species, it 

 is smaller, relatively longer, as well as more finely built ; has a longer, 

 thicker, more hairy tail ; the feet more slender, the outer toes longer 

 and more heavily haired ; and the snout more heavily moustached 

 (whiskers reaching 16 millimetres), as well as relatively longer and 

 thicker. The seasonal changes of colour and length of the fur are not 

 nearly so marked as in S. araneus. 



In the hand and foot the tip of the first digit reaches beyond the 

 pad at the base of the second, and the tip of the fifth about half-way 

 to the tip of the fourth (compare ^. araneus, above, p. 87, and see 

 Plate VIII., Figs, i and 2). 



The colour of the upper side varies in winter between "hair 

 brown " and some ruddier shade ; the under side, including the 



