374 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
abundantly. Take the other species of its genus, which inhabit the territories farther west, the. 
Common Shrew Mole has an elongated, slender snout, which is cut off obliquely at the end, so that 
the nostrils, which are situated in this sloping surface, are turned forwards and upwards, and are not 
visible from below ; a short and nearly naked tail ; and only thirty-six teeth, which present the 
following characters : — In the upper jaw there are on each side three incisors, of which the foremost is 
very large and pyramidal, whilst the other two are very small ; then four compressed teeth, gradually 
increasing in size, of which the first may be regarded as a canine and the rest as premolars ; and 
beyond these three large, true molars, each having the crown furnished with strong cusps, and dis- 
tinctly divided into two parts. The lower jaw has only four instead of six incisors, and these are 
nearly horizontal, and the two inner ones are much smaller than the outer ; these are followed imme- 
diately by three simple, gradually increasing teeth, regarded as premolars; and these again by three 
large true molars. According to this interpretation there are no lower canines. The feet are like 
those of the Mole, but the toes of the hind feet are webbed. 
Two other species of Scalops are found in the western parts of the United States. One of them, 
the Prairie Mole, or the Silvery Shrew Mole (S. aryenfatus), which is about seven inches long, and 
has the hairs annul ated with white and lead colour, giving it a silvery appearance, inhabits the western 
prairies, advancing as far to the eastward as Ohio and Michigan ; the other, the Texan Shrew Mole 
(S. lath nanus ), which is still larger, and has the fore feet broader than in any other species, and the 
black hair longer, thinner, and slightly crisped, is a native of Mexico and Texas. 
Two other Shrew Moles have been formed into a distinct genus (Smpanus) by M. Pomel. They 
resemble the preceding in general characters, but agree with the Star-nosed Mole in having forty-four 
teeth. These are Brewer’s Shrew Mole (Smpanus Brewerii), a. black species, about six inches long, 
which inhabits the eastern United States, and is supposed to have given the foundation for the reports 
of the existence of the Common Mole in North America; and the Oregon Mole (Smpanus Townsend ii ), 
a considerably larger species, which is said to extend all along the Pacific coast, from California to 47° 
10 N. lat. In their habits these animals seem to agree closely with the Star-nosed Mole. The western 
species occurs abundantly in the banks of rivers. 
FAMILY IX. — MYOCtALULE. — THE DESMANS. 
Some very curious and interesting animals, placed with the Shrews by some zoologists, and with 
the Moles by others, may, perhaps, for our purpose, be best placed as a distinct family. The Desmans 
are, in fact, Shrew-like animals, with some important points of resemblance to the Moles. Thus, the 
teeth in the true Desmans are forty-four in number, and the large upper front incisor is pyramidal, and 
rather resembles that of some Moles than that of the Shrews ; the general character of the skull is 
Mole-like, especially the presence of a slender zygomatic arch, which does not exist in the Shrews ; the 
shoulder-blade is long, narrow, and strong, the collar-bone shoi-t and stout, and the front portion of 
the sternum is slightly keeled. Many other slight osteological peculiarities point to an alliance with 
the Moles ; but on the other hand, Shrew-like characters are not wanting, and the general structure of 
the body and limbs is that of the Shrews, the tail being well developed, and the limbs all formed for 
walking. In the true Desmans the hind limbs are considerably larger than the fore-limbs, and all the 
feet are palmated, or have their toes united by webs. 
THE DESMAN* 
The Desman in general form resembles a big Bat, but with a long snout formed by the nostrils, 
which are produced in a tubular form, and united in the middle, producing a regular trunk, provided 
with muscles which enable it to be turned in various directions, and employed as an organ of touch. 
The tail is compressed, scaly, and nearly naked. 
In the arrangement of the teeth we see a considerable resemblance to the Shrew Moles. Thus, in 
the upper jaw we have the same gigantic front incisors, larger here than in any other species, and 
these are followed on each side by a series of seven teeth, gradually increasing in size, the first of which 
is an incisor, the second a canine, and the remaining five premolars. In the lower jaw, there are four 
projecting incisors, the outer much larger than the inner ones, as in the Shrew Moles, then, on each 
Myogale moschata f 
