﻿80 



NOETH AMERICAN FAUNA. 



[No. 10, 



General characters. — Similar to >S'. californicus, but larger, with much 

 longer tail, larger ears and feet, and a dark rump patch. 



Color. — Upper i>arts ash gray, becoming suddenly darker on the 

 rump, the dark hairs forming a distinct patch or saddle on posterior 

 half of the back, strongly contrasted with the clear gray of the shoul- 

 ders and anterior part of back; under parts whitish, reaching far up 

 on the sides. Tail indistinctly bicolor: dark above, and all round on 

 distal half ; pale below on proximal half. 



Cranial and dental characters. — Skull similar to that of californicus^ 

 but larger and with the brain case narrower and higher. Large upper 

 premolar decidedly larger than in calif ornicus; molariform teeth very 

 broadly and deeply excavated posteriorly. 



Measurements (of type specimen in flesh). — Total length, 108 mm. ; tail 

 vertebrfe, 43 mm.; hind foot, 13 mm. Average of "1 from San Bernar- 

 dino Peak: Total length, 104 mm.; tail vertebrae, 42.5 mm.; hind foot, 

 12 mm. 



General remarks. — The dark rump patch is probably a feature of the 

 winter pelage, as it is hardly apparent in September specimens from 

 the San Bernardino Mountains. 



Specimens examined. — Total number, 7, from the following localities in 

 southern California: Mount Pihos and head of San Emigdio Canyon, 

 2; near head of Ventura Eiver, 1; San Bernardino Peak, 2; Santa 

 Ysabel, 2. 



SOREX CALIFORNICIIS sp. nov. 

 (PI. XII, figs. 6,7.) 



Type from Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, Calif. Type, No. f |f li S ad., IT. S. 

 Nat. Mus., Department of Agriculture collection. Collected February 15, 1892, by 

 Clark P. Streator. Original number, 1583. 



General characters. — Size small; tail shorter than body without head; 

 hind foot about 11.5 mm.; ears conspicuous; skull small and flat; brain 

 case hardly higher than rostrum. 



Color. — Upper parts dark ash gray, with a decided ' pepper and 

 salt' appearance, and sometimes washed with brownish; under parts 

 plumbeous, tipped with whitish. 



Cranial and dental characters. — Skull small and flat; brain case de- 

 pressed, broadly flattened, and hardly higher than rostrum, with which 

 it forms a nearly straight line; palate broad. Third unicuspid very 

 small, hardly half as large as fourth. Molariform teeth similar to those 

 of 8. vagrans^ but smaller. 



Measurements. — Average of 4 specimens from Walnut Creek, Cali- 

 fornia (type locality) : Total length, 93 mm. ; tail vertebrai, 34.5 mm. ; 

 hind foot, 11.5 mm. 



General remarlis. — Sorex californicus is the type of a new group of 

 Shrews, previously overlooked, and easily distinguished by the flatness 

 of the brain case. Three members of the group are here described, ail 

 of small size, namely, 8. californicus , 8. te^iellus, and S. nanus. 



