of the British Shrews. 39 



cealed, and without any white spot ; the feet and tail not ciliated, 

 (although met with in the heart of a marshy district subject to in- 

 undation ;) nor the former relatively larger than in common spe- 

 cimens. 



The other variety to which I would direct attention was taken 

 in the same fen, and at the same time, as the preceding, Of this 

 I likewise obtained two specimens, of different sexes, however, the 

 female being big with young. They were quite similar ; but both, 

 in general appearance, extremely different from those last described, 

 as also from most others I had previously seen. Their chief pecu- 

 liarity consisted in their bright rufous colour, with several indica- 

 tions of their being young, or at least hardly adult individuals, al- 

 though quite as large as, or indeed in some respects larger than, 

 the specimens of our common shrew usually met with. 



Var. 2. — Dimensions : — 





Inc. 



Lin. 



Length of head and body, 



2 



6 



of head, 







Hi 



of tail (to end of bone,) 



- 1 



7 



of hind foot, 



- 



61 



of fore foot, - 







4 



of ears, - 







14 



From eye to orifice of ear, 







3 



to the tip of snout, 







43 

 *4 



The above measurements are those of the female, which was the 

 larger of the two specimens. The only respect in which they are 

 at all peculiar is in that of the hind foot, which, it will be observed, 

 is as long as in the variety first described, notwithstanding the great 

 difference in their general size. In fact this part was decidedly 

 larger than in ordinary specimens of the same entire length. There 

 was likewise in the recent animal a marked fulness about the head 

 and snout, causing these parts also to appear larger than usual, al- 

 though not to be inferred from the dimensions given in the table. 

 Some of the other characters, as already stated, seemed to indicate 

 immaturity. The points of the teeth were all sharp : the tail thick, 

 and nearly round, the angles scarcely sensible ; well clothed through- 

 out its whole circumference with long hairs, and tipped with a fine 

 pencil extending very nearly three lines beyond the bone. The co- 

 lour of all the upper parts was bright chestnut, passing on the sides 

 into ash-grey, which last colour pervaded also the parts beneath : 

 tail and feet as well as the snout, light rufous. 



