﻿No. 10. NOETH AMEEICAN FAUNA. December, 1895. 



REVISION OF THE SHREWS OF THE AMERICAN GENERA BLARINA 



AND NOTIOSOREX, 



By C. Hart Merriam. 



The Short-tailed Shrews of America belong to two genera — Blarina 

 and Ngtiosorex. Of the former, 14 alleged species have been described; 

 of the latter, only 2. Eespecting the status and geographic ranges of 

 these species much confusion exists. In order to obtain authentic 

 information on these points the Department has made a special effort 

 to "Secure large series of specimens, and has sent trained collectors to 

 most of the original type localities of the forms that have been named. 

 Moreover, one of the field naturalists of the Division of Ornithology 

 and Mammalogy, Mr. E. W. ^^Telson, while conducting biological explora- 

 tions in Mexico, has obtained a number of new species. As a result, 

 upward of 600 specimens of the United States species and more than 

 200 of the Mexican species are now before me.^ Either the original 

 types, or duplicate types obtained from the original type localities, of 

 all the United States and Mexican species have been examined. The 

 conclusions derived from a study of this material are embodied in the 

 present paper. 



Genus BLARINA Gray, 1838. 



7. .7^ 7 • p 1. ,,T, 2.^ 3_9orJ^^ ^_18or20_ 

 Dental formula. — i? — ^ — ' ' o ' ^ 1' ' 3 6 — ' V^* — 



30 or 32. 



Teeth, 32 or 30 ; miicuspids, 5 or 4. First and second unicuspids large 

 and subequal or second largest; third and fourth much smaller; fifth 

 minute or absent; unicuspids (except minute posterior one) broad and 

 bearing a secondary cusi)let on inner side; all the teeth heavily tipped 

 with dark chestnut, which usually reaches far down on the crowns. 

 Cranium rather high and usually angular. No apparent external ears; 

 tail short, always less than half the length of head and body; legs 

 short; body usually stout and thickset (but more slender in the parva 

 group). 



HISTORY AND NOMENCLATURE. 



For a long time the Short-tailed Shrews were included in the genus 

 Sorex. They were first separated by Gray in 1838 under the name 

 Blarina, proposed as a subgenus.^ Four years later (1842) Blarina was 

 raised to full generic rank by Lesson.^ 



^In addition to the specimens in tlie L)epartment collection and my private col- 

 lection, I have had the privilege of examining about 100 belonging to Mr. Gerrit S. 

 Miller, jr. 



2Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1837 (Jnne, 1838), 124. 



^Lesson, Nonv. Tableau Mammif., 1842, 89. 5 



