378 
NATURAL BISTORT. 
teeth, but hare no lobe at the base of the upper incisors ; the external ear is small, turned forward 
and the tail short, usually not longer than the head. These form the genus Marina. 
Dekay’s Shrew is about four inches and a half long, and the tail about an inch. Its fur is of a 
rusty yellow-grey colour above, paler beneath ; the nose and feet are reddish-brown, and the front 
incisors black. From Dr. Bachman’s description it would appear that this animal burrows rather 
deeply in the ground, after the fashion of the Mole. It is found in the northern United States. 
THE GARDEN SHREW.* 
A very considerable number of Shrews, distributed in all parts of the Old World, and including 
two or three well-known European species, have been formed into the genus Crocidura, which in its 
turn has been divided again and again by means of characters generally of very slight importance. 
The Crocidurce have from twenty-eight to thirty teeth, all white, or with white tips ; the lower 
incisors are not toothed ; the teeth between the incisors and the molars in the upper jaw gradually 
decrease in size ; and the tail is covered with short hairs, among which there are a good many longer ones, 
The Garden Shrew (Crocidura aranea) is a small species, usually measuring a little over four inches 
in total length, of which the tail occupies about an inch and a third. It has twenty-eight teeth which 
are all white. The fur is of a mouse-grey colour, shading off into whitish ash on the lower surface ; 
the feet are light ashy, with the toes flesh-coloured, as is also the tip of the snout ; and the ears, 
which are well exposed, are ash-coloured above and whitish below. The fur occasionally has a reddish- 
brown tinge ; and, as in the Common Shrew, specimens spotted with white, and even albinos, sometimes 
occur. This is a common species almost all over Europe, but does not occur in Sweden or in the British 
Islands. It lives in woods and plantations, in the fields and in gardens, and in the winter approaches 
close to the houses, sheltering itself under stones and other objects, and sometimes even entering stables 
and other outbuildings. Like the other species, it feeds upon insects, worms, and other small animals, 
and like them also it has the reputation of injuring domestic animals by walking over them. 
The Tuscan Shrew (Crocidura etrusca) is another well-known European species, but its distribution 
is much more limited than that of the Garden Shrew. It is found generally in the extreme south of 
Europe, from France to the Black Sea, and also in the north of Africa, but does not appear to extend 
north of the Alps. Like the Garden Shrew, it frequents gardens, and not unfrequently comes into 
houses and outbuildings. In the open country it selects dry and warm situations. 
The total length of the Tuscan Shrew is from two inches and a half to two inches and three- 
quarters, and as the tail is nearly an inch long, the head and body may measure little more than an 
inch and a half. It is the smallest of living Mammals. The teeth are thirty in number. The 
colour of the fur is ashy with a reddish tinge above, light ashy beneath ; the tail is clothed with short 
hairs, and with a series of rings of longer white hairs ; and the ears are of moderate size, projecting 
distinctly from the fur. In its habits it agrees with the other species. 
THE RAT-TAILED SHREW. f 
Amongst a number of Indian species, some of which are of doubtful distinctness, we may notice 
one which seems to be widely distributed in the East, and well known in India and elsewhere, under 
the name of the Musk Shrew, or Musk Bat. It is usually of a dark brown or even blackish colour 
above, and much paler beneath, but it varies considerably in this respect, and thus has probably given 
origin to several so-called species. The ears are of considerable size, and the tail, which is about three- 
fourths the length of the body, is thickened towards the root — a character of the sub-genus Pachtjura. 
The animal is about six inches long. It is a very common Indian species, and frequents houses at night, 
hunting round the rooms in search of the Cockroaches and other insects which abound there. From 
time to time it utters a sharp, shrill cry. Its musky odour is exceedingly strong, and is said to 
impregnate everything that the animal passes over ; in fact, the popular belief in India is that in 
running over a bottle of wine or beer, it is capable of infecting the contents ! This, however, is rather 
more than doubtful. Mr. J erdon distinguishes two species — an Indian one which he calls Sorex cttru- 
lescens, and which is usually of a bluish ash colour, and a somewhat smaller species, chiefly inhabiting 
Further India and China, to which he gives the Linnean name of Sorex murium. If they are distinct, it 
* cidura aranea . 
f Crocidura myosura. 
