MAMMALS OF MARYLAND 



25 



nests are located at various places in these tunnels, a favorite being 

 under a log or stump. These nests, usually made of shredded leaves, are 

 roughly spherical in shape and about the size of a baseball. They gen- 

 erally are situated some 4 to 19 inches below the surface of the ground. 



Breeding in this species may begin in late March and the earlier 

 litters appear in early May. As many as three litters may be produced 

 each season, the last appearing in late August. The gestation period 

 is about 20 days, and the young number from 3 to 10, 5 or 6 being 

 the most common. 



Hamilton (1940, p. 480) lists the foods of the smoky shrew as the 

 following: insects, earthworms, vegetables, centipedes, snails, sala- 

 manders, mammals, sowbugs, spiders, and birds. 



Hamilton (1943, p. 486) believes that adults, after completing their 

 reproductive duties, die of old age when 14 to 17 months of age. 



Specimens examined. — Allegany County: Mount Savage, 4 (Coll. 

 U. Md.). Garrett County: Bittinger, 3 ; Finzel, 6; Swallow Falls State 

 Forest, 3. 



Other records and reports. — Garrett County: Cranesville Swamp, 

 one mile SE (Coll. U. Mich.) ; Sang Run (Coll. Maryland Nat. Hist. 

 Soc.). 



LONG-TAILED SHREW 

 Sorex dispar dispar Batchelder 



Sorex macrurus Batchelder, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 10: 133, 

 8 December 1896. Not S. macrourus Lehmann, 1822. 



Sorex dispar Batchelder, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 24: 97, 15 May 

 1911. (A renaming of S. macrurus Batchelder.) 



Type locality. — Beede's (sometimes called Lemie Heights), in township of 

 Keene, Essex County, N.Y. 



General distribution. — Mountainous regions of the eastern United States, from 

 Maine south into North Carolina and Tennessee. 



Distribution in Maryland. — Allegheny Mountain section ; may occur 

 at higher elevations in Kidge and Valley section. It has been taken in 

 Maryland only at Muddy Creek Falls, in Swallow Falls State Forest, 

 Garrett County (Mansueti and Flyger, 1952, p. 250). It is one of the 

 rarest shrews in Maryland. 



Distinguishing characteristics. — Similar to Sorex fumeus, but with 

 a longer tail, somewhat smaller size, and a uniform slate-gray colora- 

 tion in all pelages. Tooth formula as in Sorex cinereus^ with third 

 unicuspid equal to fourth in size. 



Mea^surements. — External measurements of the type as given in the 

 original description are : Total length 130; tail 60; hind foot 15 ; ear 10. 



