RADIATED SHREW. 
IT is, perhaps, not easy to decide with cer- 
tainty, -whether this animal be in fact a Shrew, 
or a Mole, or of an intermediate species. 
Monsieur De la Faille, in his celebrated 
Memoir respecting Moles, appears to have 
first figured and described this singular animal. 
Indeed, his figure and., description have been 
adopted bv Burl on, and other naturalists; who 
do not seem to have any other knowledge of 
the animal than what that gentleman origi- 
nally gave them. It is, perhaps, extremely 
doubtful, whether any other specimen was 
ever met with, exactly like that which we also 
have copied from M. De la Faille. This cir- 
cumstance, added to the very singular appear- 
ance of the tail, induces us to apprehend that 
the seeming contraction of the interstices 
of it's joints, may have been the result of 
some accident to the particular animal, rather 
than any constant character of a species. 
Could this be fairly ascertained, so as to esta- 
blish the fact, we should incline to consider 
the 
