April ll, 1889.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



237 



3 j^if^f^f^O- 



Fig. 1. Snout with appendages in the Star-Nosed Mole (E. I 

 tristata); enlarged from life. 

 Fig, 2. Bendire's Shrew (A. bendirci), adult male; life size. 



Fig. 3. A Solenodont (S. cubanw), X one-fifth. 



Fig. 4. Common Mole (S. a. aquatieus); male, life size. 



Fig. 5. The Eared Shrew (S. platyrMnus); male, life size. 

 Fig. 6, Dentition of European Mole (T. europcmts); enlarged. 



All these figures were drawn by the writer; Fig. 1, from a cut in Goodrich's Natural History; Fig. 2, from E. E. T. Seton's drawing which illustrates Dr. Merriam's memoir on 

 the genus Ataphyrax; Fig. 3, from Dobson, after Peters; Fig. 4, from Packard, after Coues; Fig. 5, by the author; and Fig. 6, after Dott. Lorenzo Camerano, of Turin, Italy, to 

 whom I am indebted for a copy of his work (Ricerche intorno alio Specie Italiane del Genere Talpa, Linn. Tav. II., Fig. IX 



of the hairs on the back being of a metallic violet hue by 

 reflected light, beneath whitish." G. aurita, "a small 

 mouse-like species of Madagascar, agrees closely with 

 Potamogale in the general form of the skull and teeth: 

 the tibula and fibula are distinct, but it is not known 

 whether a clavicle exists or not, and the material at 

 present available is insufficient to definitely fix the natu- 

 ral position of the species." 



As will be noted in either of our above classifications, 

 the solenodonts are represented but by two known 

 species from the West Indies. They are among the 

 largest of the Insectivora, but their habits as yet are not 

 fully known. In Fig. 3 I present the form of one of these 

 interesting mammals, it being characterized by its long 

 subcylindrical snout, naked tail, coarse fur and ponder- 

 ous feet. For the rest, the female is found to have her 

 mammas situated quite on the buttocks behind, a unique 

 state of affairs for the order to which it belongs. About 

 two years ago there was received a living specimen of 

 S. cubanus at the U. S. National Museum/and Mr. True 

 favored us with some notes in reference to it in Science; 

 since then Dr. Dobson has written me from England that 

 a fine specimen has come to his hands, and this latter 

 will no doubt in time be handsomely monographed by 

 that eminent author. 



Of the next family, the Centeiidce, the best known 

 species is the peculiar Madagascan C.. ecaudatus, the 

 tailless ground hog, which is now the largest animal of 

 the Insectivora known to us. Prolific to a degree equalled 

 but by few of its class, this creature may bring forth as 

 many as twenty-one young at a birth. These are char- 

 acterized, it is said, by having a row of white spines 

 down their backs, a feature which is lost as the animal 

 ■attains maturity. My space will not admit of my enter- 

 ing upon a number of the interesting traits attributed to 

 this creature and its allies of the same family. 



Lastly we find the fossorial golden moles of South 

 Africa, species akin to the ] ast mentioned group. They 

 are famous for the extraordinary metallic tints of their 

 fur, which may possess in the various species, any shade 

 of violet, golden, bronze or even metallic green. They 

 are chunky-bodied little chaps, with mole-like eyes, and 

 profoundly modified fore-limbs, eminently fitting them 

 for their burrowing propensities, as they spend most of 

 their time in such pursuits. No external tail is to be 

 found in these animals, and their ears are nearly rudi- 

 mentary. 



Turning our attention now to the shrews {Sorecidce), of 



which there are some sixteen species in this country, 

 distributed through four genera, as shown in the List, we 

 are met by an exceedingly engaging group of little ani- 

 mals, to which anatomists and zoologists have paid no 

 small degree of tribute. 



Shrews stand among the smallest existing mammals, 

 and if we choose any one of the commoner forms as an ex- 

 ample, we are at first struck with the animal's close re- 

 semblance to our little house mouse; this is owing 

 chiefly to the similitude which obtains between the gen- 

 eral form of their bodies, the tail and the feet, and 

 finally, of course, the size. But the shrew has nothing- 

 further in common with the mouse, for the nose of the 

 former is long and pointed, the ears and small eyes 

 nearly concealed by the surrounding fur, while the nos- 

 trils are prominent, and the lower jaw much over- 

 shadowed by the anteriorly projecting muzzle. These 

 little animals have also a dentition characteristic of the 

 family to which they belong; and according to Dobson 

 the common shrew of Europe (S. vidgaris) has thirty-two 

 teeth, all tipped with deep crimson. 



The study of the dentition in these as in all mammals 

 is a matter of the highest importance, and one of the 

 best, if not the best, guide we have to their classification. 

 Most shrews have a soft and flossy coat, but this attractive 

 feature is offset by the abominable odor which some of 

 the species emit. This odor arises from the material or 

 fluid which is secreted by a pair of glands, one on either 

 side of the animal's body, between the limbs. So strong- 

 is it that many of the mammalian carnivora which prey 

 upon mice will not touch a shrew; they, however, often 

 kill them by mistake, but leave their bodies where the 

 tragedy took place. Protective as this is against such 

 predaceous animals, it does not offend the taste of the 

 nocturnal birds of prey, for owls kill and eat these little 

 creatures in large numbers. Doctor Dobson, in speaking 

 of the common (S. vulgaris) and lesser (8. pygmceiis) 

 shrews of Europe, remarks that "They live generally in 

 the neighborhood of woods, making their nests under the 

 roots of trees or in any slight depression, occasionally 

 even in the midst of open fields, inhabiting the disused 

 burrows of field mice. Owing to their very small size, 

 dark color, rapid movement, and chiefly nocturnal habits, 

 they easily escape observation. They seek their food, 

 which consists of insects, insect larvse, small worms and 

 slugs, under dead leaves, fallen trees and in grassy places. 

 Like the mole they are very pugnacious, and if two or 

 more are confined together in a limited space they invalu- 



ably fight fiercely, the fallen becoming the food of the 

 victorious. They also, like the mole, are exceedingly 

 voracious, and soon die if deprived of food; and it is 

 probably to insufficiency of food in the early dry autumnal 

 season that the well-known immense mortality among 

 these animals at that time of the year is due. The breed- 

 ing season extends from the end of April to the beginning 

 of August, and five to seven, more rarely ten, young may 

 be found in their nests; they are naked, blind and tooth- 

 less at birth, but soon run around, snapping at every- 

 thing within reach, the anterior pair of incisors in both 

 jaws quickly pierce the gum, followed by the last pair of 

 upper premolars, which at birth form prominent eleva- 

 tions in the gum." 



Water shrews all swim and dive well, and no doubt 

 subsist chiefly upon the insects found in that element, as 

 well as small crustaceans and perhaps the fry of fishes. 

 In collecting these little animals it is a good plan to sink 

 to its full margin a large-mouthed glass bottle or jar, 

 directly in the little paths they make along the water 

 courses. Into the pitfalls the shrews tumble at night, 

 when in the morning the collector has them at his mercy. 

 Many of our shrews still require much work and observa- 

 tion upon their more intimate habits, and undoubtedly 

 there are several species yet to be found and described 

 for our fauna. It is not so very long ago that Captain 

 Bendire discovered an entirely new genus and species of 

 shrews in Oregon, which proved to be the largest repre- 

 sentative of the family. (See List, A, bendirei, and Fig. 

 2.) Nothing is as yet definitely known of the habits of 

 this species, although from the locality in which it was 

 taken, it may possibly be more or less aquatic in its pur- 

 suits (Bendire's shrew has been carefully described by 

 Dr. C. H. Merriam; see Bibliography). In the common 

 short-tailed shrew (B. trevicauda), the teeth are often 

 found much worn away, which Merriam has discovered 

 to be due to the animal supplementing its insectivorous 

 diet by feeding upon beech nuts, a taste quite at variance 

 with the rule among these little animals, so far as we at 

 present know. 



Speaking of short-tailed shrews, I find that a very close 

 observer and most entertaining author, Dr. C. C. Abbott, 

 says of them that they "are full of life and activity all 

 winter. No severity of the weather chills their ardor; 

 but this is not to be wondered at. Their favorite food is 

 grasshoppers, and these are to be had in abundance the 

 season through. Every warm day brings hundreds of 

 half-grown, wingless grasshopers to the surface, where 



