﻿Dec, 1895.] 



SOREX BENDIRIL 



95 



of Sciences at St. Petersburg-. It is tlie ouly Americau species of the 

 family Soricidcv (except Sorc.x' ver(V2)((ci.s, from Guatemala) that I liave 

 not seen. Its i)osition in the series is uncertain. 



Subgeuus ATOPHYKAX Merriani, 1884. 



Aiophyrax INIerriam, Traus. Liuu. Soc. Xew York, Vol. II, pp. 217-222, pi. Aiigus't, 

 1884. Type, Aiopliyrax hencliril Merriam, from Klamath Basin^ Oregon. 



Geograpllic distribution, — The subgenus Atophijrax inhabits the north- 

 west coast region from western British Columbia southward to Sonoma 

 County, Calif. In Oregon and Washington it reaches the east base of 

 the Cascade range; in California it is confined, so far as known, to the 

 coast strip north of Point Reyes. 



Diagnosis. — Feet large and fimbriate, with third and fourth toes of 

 hind foot webbed at base, as in Neosorex. Anterior part of rostrum 

 narrowed, much produced and decurved, forming, with the under jaw, 

 a toothed forceps for seizing living prey, Brain case expanded later- 

 ally, as in N'eosorex. The unicuspidate series are parallel, or nearly 

 parallel, and in the known forms the teeth are narrow and arranged in 

 pairs of approximately equal size — first and second subequal and larg- 

 est, third and fourth subequal and smaller, the third slightly smaller 

 than fourth. The fifth is large for a Shrew, and when unworn bears a 

 colored cusp, wliich is sometimes double or bifid. The large antero- 

 internalciisp of m' and m^ rises posteriorly to form a distinct secondary 

 cusp, not present ia the other subgenera. This secondary cusp, Avhich 

 is diagnostic of Atop]iyni,i\ is separated by a sulcus from the large tri- 

 angular cusp dcY^eloped on the cingulum of the posterior half of the 

 inner side of the tooth. The extreme of dift'ereutiation of the group is 

 exhibited by A. pahneri^ from the mouth of the Columbia River. 



Numher of representatives. — Three well-marked forms of Atopliyrax 

 are contained in the Department collection: (1) A. hendirn^ ranging 

 from Burrard Inlet, British Columbia, southward along the Cascade 

 range to southern Oregon, and thence southwesterly to and along the 

 coast of northern California; [2) palmeri^ from the coast of Oregon at 

 the mouth of the Columbia River; and (3) alMventer^ from the Olympic 

 Mountains of Washington, Still another may require subspecific rec- 

 ognition, namely, a form from the coast of California in Mendocino 

 County. Additional material is necessary to determine the mterrela 

 tions of the several forms. 



SOREX (ATOPHYRAX) BE'NDIRII (ilerriam). 

 (PI. X, figs. 1-4.) 



Atophijrax lendiru Merriam, Trans. Linn. Soc, New York^ll, 217-225, Aug., 1884. 

 Sorex hfudiril Dobson, Moii. Insectivora, Part III, fasc. 1, PI. XXIII, lig. 17, and 

 explanation (type specimen). 



Type ?oc«7i/i/.— Klamath Basin, Oregon (near Williauisoii River, 18 

 miles southeast of Fort Klamath). 



