MUSK SHREW. 529 
distance. The general length of the animal is 
about seven inches from nose to tail, and of the 
tail eight inches^ but it is sometimes found of a 
larger size. Its colour is a cinereous brown, 
paler beneath; the body is moderately thick, 
and rather of a depressed or flattened form ; the 
head rather small; formed as in the rest of this 
genus, and terminating in a remarkably long and 
flattened snout, running far beyond the lower 
jaw: this part of the snout is nearly bare on the 
upper part, but edged along the sides with a row 
of vibrissae or whiskers ; and a furrow or line of 
division runs along its upper part : it is of a seem- 
ingly cartilaginous substance, and, in the living 
animal, very flexible : in the lower jaw are four 
fronUteeth, and on each side six ccfwrne ; the grind- 
ers are four on each side in the upper jaw, and 
three in the lower : the eyes are extremely small, 
and there are no external ears, but merely the 
appearance of a pair of small holes at some dis- 
tance beyond the eyes : the legs are very short, 
with five toes on all the feet, connected by a na- 
ked web or membrane, which is much wider on 
the hind than on the fore feet: the feet are nearly 
naked, and of a brown colour: the tail, except at 
its base, is perfectly naked, marked out into scaly 
divisions, and is of a brown colour : it is also of a 
laterally compressed form, and gradually tapers 
to the extremity: near the base of the tail are 
situated several small follicles or glandular re- 
ceptacles, in which is secreted a yellowish fluid, 
resembling in smell the strongest civet: of this 
