94 
long; the fourth smaller and shorter; the first is larger than the fifth. 
The palms are about as broad as long, exclusive of the claws; these are 
long and fossoriai, and much larger than those of the hind feet.. The 
hind feet are narrower and weaker than the fore, although about the 
same length. The under surfaces of all the feet are perfectly smooth, 
the upper with scanty hairs; there is a ciliated border of short hairs 
about the posterior and lateral margin of the palm. The fur is long and 
full, the longest hairs on the back measuring .85 inch. Above the fur is 
a dark ashy, plumbeous from the roots, glossed with ashy brown; this 
ashy brown tinge is more decided beneath, and extends more towards 
the roots; towards the chin there is a slight tinge of reddish brown. The 
hairs on the sides and extremity of the tail are tipped with silvery. 
Prof. Baird mentions a specimen from Cleveland, presented by Prof. 
Kirtland, which had the tail almost entirely white, and the fur with 
whitish patches distributed irregularly,over the body. Prof. Baird gives 
the distribution of this species as frem Connecticut and New York to 
Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. F. W. Langdon has a specimen in his collection, 
taken by J. W. Shorten, at Rome, Adams county, Ohio, in May, 1877. 
FAMILY SORICIDA. 
In addition to the characters already given, based principally on the 
teeth and skeleton, the following more appreciable external characters 
‘are Selected : . 
The Shrews are Mouse-like Insectivora, distinguished by an elongated 
and pointed muzzle, extending some distance beyond the incisor teeth, 
and ending in a naked cartilaginous muffle, with the nostrils pierced in 
the sides. The eyes are minute, and usually hidden in the fur, but are 
apparent on close examination. External ears are developed, with two 
inner lobes protecting the meatus; one lobe is formed from the antit- 
ragus, the other by the helix. The feet are five-toed, each toe with a 
distinct claw; the fere feet are little, if at all, broader than the hind feet ; 
feet nearly plantigrade, and naked beneath. The external ears and 
smaller anterior feet readily separate the Shrews from the Moles. 
Besides the above, the stomach is simple; the cecum wanting; liver 
five-lobed, with a gall-bladder ; the right lung four, and the left one-lobed. 
‘There is a peculiar glandular organ near the fore legs, on each side, 
wanting or small in the female or young, and much developed in the 
male during the breeding season. “The peculiar odor, more or less 
musky, of Soricidx, is due to the secretion of these glands, and makes 
the Shrew-Mouse unacceptable as food to the cat that may have killed 
it.” (OQwen.) 
The teeth vary from 28 to 82; there are two large incisor teeth in each 
