﻿Dec, 1895.] 



SOREX VAGRANS. 



67 



SOREX VAGRANS Baird. 

 (PI, VIII, figs. 2, 2(1.) 



Sorex vagrans Baird, Mammals N. Am., pp. 15-18, PI. XXVI, fig. 1675, 1857. (Type 



from Shoalwater Bay, Wasliington.) 

 Sorex sucUeyi Baird, Mammals N. Am., pp. 18-20, PI. XXVII, fig. 1677, 1857. (Type 



from Steilacoom, Wasliington.) 



Type /oca?i7?/.— Slioahvater Bay, Washington. 



GeograpMc disfrihiition.—Soiitlieni British Columbia, western Wash- 

 ington and Oregon, and northern California (south on the coast to 

 Monterey and in the mountains to old Fort Crook and Cassel). 

 Eestricted to lower Boreal and upper Transition zones. 



General characters, — Size small 5 tail medium, about equaling body 

 without head; third unicuspid smaller than fourth. 



OoZor.— Upper parts dark brown, varying to almost russet; under 

 parts ashy; tail dusky above, pale below. 



Cranial and dental characters. — Skull normal, presenting no marked 

 oculiarities, and measuring about 17 mm. in greatest length (including 

 unworn middle incisors) by 8 mm. in greatest breadth, thus being the 

 smallest of the northwest coast Shrews. Interpterygoid fossa rather 

 broad and short. Compared with the skull of S. obscurus, which it re- 

 sembles closely, it averages about 1 mm. shorter, while the breadth of 

 the brain case remains essentially the same. The upper molars and 

 large upper premolar are decidedly smaller than in obscurus and this 

 character affords the best means of distinguishing the two species. 



Measurements. — Average of 20 specimens from Aberdeen, Wash.: 

 Total length, 103 mm.; tail A^ertebrae, 43 mm.; hind foot, 12.3 mm. 



General remarhs. — Sorex vagrans is the common small Shrew of the 

 northwestern coast region of the United States and southern British 

 Columbia. In some localities it occurs with the slightly larger S. 

 obscurusj from which it is not easily distinguished except by actual 

 comparison of the molariform teeth. It is less boreal than obscurus^ 

 inhabiting the upper part of the Transition and lower part of the 

 Boreal zones, while obscurus is exclusively boreal. In the Rocky 

 Mountain region Sorex vagrans is represented by S. dobsoni^ with which 

 it apparently intergrades, as specimens from eastern Washington (Mar- 

 shall and Wawawai) seem to be intermediate between the two. 



Sorex sucldeyi Baird is identical with S. vagrans^ as I have determined 

 by comparison of the type specimens. In describing sucMeyi as distinct 

 Baird was misled by an immature and defective skull (No. -3-5-2-? U. S. 

 l^Tat. Mus.). The base of this skull is broken and foreshortened, caus- 

 ing the brain case to bulge laterally, and all the anterior teeth are 

 absent, so that the skull has an abnormal appearance (roughly shown 

 on PI. XXYII, Hist. IST. Am. Mammals). Baird's other specimen from 

 the type locality (No. 1677, Steilacoom) is alcoholic, and its skull is nor- 

 mal and identical with the type of vagrans^ and also with other speci- 

 mens of vagrans in the Department collection from Steilacoom. Baird's 



