MAMMALS OF MARYLAND 



19 



and contained six blind and hairless young. At the time of this dis- 

 covery the young were probably a week old, and one of them measured 

 43 mm. in total length with tail and hind foot measurements of 12 and 

 6 mm. respectively. The nest was visited again in about 2 weeks, and 

 the young had developed to a size of 77 mm. in total length with tail 

 and hind foot measurements of 33 and 10 mm. They were well furred 

 and quite active. When the nest was visited for the final time on 8 No- 

 vember, only 3 young could be found, and they quickly scampered 

 away into the surrounding brush. The mother was seen in the nest only 

 when it was first investigated on 18 October, and she scurried away 

 very rapidly when the nest was opened. 



With regard to feeding and breeding habits of this race not much 

 is known, but they probably are similar to those of 8 or ex c. cinereus. 

 As with cinereus, this subspecies appears to be cyclical as far as abund- 

 ance in particular areas is concerned; some years they are scarce, in 

 others numerous. An example of how abundant these shrews may be 

 in some years is provided by Kyle Barbehenn who collected 60 of them 

 near Germantown, Montgomery County, between November 1958 and 

 January 1959, and more than 150 near Rockville, Montgomery County, 

 from February to April 1959. 



Specimens examined. — Anne Arundel Comity: Annapolis, 3 miles 

 NW, 1; Severn Run, 1. Baltimore County: Lake Roland, 11; Lock 

 Raven, 5; Pretty Boy Reservoir (near Middletown), 1. Dorchester 

 County: Cambridge, 1. Montgomery County: Ashton, 1; Bethesda, 

 1; Cabin John, 1; Chevy Chase, 1; Germantown, 60; Glen Echo 

 Heights, 1; Great Falls, 1; Rockville (near), 153; Sandy Spring, 1. 

 Prince Georges County: Beltsville, 1; Bowie, 1; Hollywood, 1; Hy- 

 attsville, 5 ; Landover, 1 ; Laurel, 3 ; Patuxent Wildlife Research Cen- 

 ter, 3 ; Tuxedo, 1. Worcester County: Mills Island, 1 (from owl pellet) . 



Other records and reports. — Kent County: Chestertown (U.S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service files). Baltimore County: Patapsco State Park 

 (Hampe, 1936). 



Remarks. — This shrew was for many years considered a distinct spe- 

 cies. Poole (1937, p. 96), however, showed that in Pennsylvania there 

 is an unbroken gradation between this form and Sorex cinereus and 

 that the two are only subspecifically separable. In Maryland, the most 

 typical specimens of fontinalis are found in the vicinity of the type 

 locality. Farther to the northwest, near Rockville and Germantown, 

 Montgomery County, specimens, although still referable to fontinalis, 

 are somewhat larger than typical of the race, and are approaching 

 cinereus. The real dividing line for the 2 subspecies in Maryland is 

 that between the Piedmont and the Ridge and Valley sections, those 

 to the west being referable to cinereus, those to the east to fontinalis. 

 Specimens from north of Baltimore and from the Eastern Shore sec- 



