MYOGALEA MOSCHATA. 195 



motion under ground in search of food ; while I suppose that the shrew 

 only burrows for safety and habitation, and most probably catches its 

 food on the surface or in the water which he [this species] generally 

 lives near. 



[The Common Shrew (Sorex araneus)^] 



The Land Mouse, English. 



This is very like a mouse, excepting that it has a long sharp nose, 

 almost like that of the coati-mondi, which is used as a digger, as in the 

 mole. The external ears have some white hair upon them : they are 

 very short. The eyes are very small. There is no caecum. I observed 

 a white body lying at the root of the mesentery. 



[The Desman (Myogalea moschata, Cuv.) 1 .] 

 The Musk Rat. 



This animal is not so large as the common rat : its tail is not so long ; 

 it is about as thick at the base, but terminates much sooner in a point, 

 which gives it a conical figure* it is covered with the same kind of hair 

 as on the body, which is short and thin. The head is long, and almost 

 comes to a point at the nose, the cartilaginous and membranous part of 

 which projects considerably beyond the mouth, like a hog's, but does not 

 terminate as in that animal. There is no lip between the mouth and 

 nose ; but the two lateral lips of the upper jaw run to the nose, making 

 a kind of groove between them. The eyes are small. The ears project, 

 but are pretty flat and thin : they are rounded and not pointed : the 

 legs are short, especially the fore-legs. 



By the pylorus not being closely attached, the mesogaster and mesen- 

 tery become one continued membrane, from the right of the oesophagus 

 to the pelvis, having the stomach and the whole intestines strung on 

 the edge 2 . 



This membrane has for its attachment to the body, first the liver 

 above ; but, where the lobulus Spigelii unites with the right lobe, it is 

 not attached, which gives an opening into the epiploon ; it is then 

 attached down the back to the pelvis. The epiploon is attached forwards 

 to the great curve of the stomach, on the stomach, on the left of the 

 diaphragm, and spleen : it is attached to the back, and on the right the 

 anterior and posterior attachments come to a point at the pylorus or 

 duodenum. 



1 [The skull of this animal is No. 2400, Osteol. Series.] 



2 [Home, Comp. Anat. i. p. 433: the remarks abstracted are referred to the 

 ' musk-rat.'] 



o 2 



