The tail projects about a line beyond the membrane. The toes of the hind-feet are rather
long, and have white, slender claws, not greatly curved, with a few long hairs projecting over
them. The wing-membrane is naked, and the joints of the fingers correspond with those
of the vespertilio pruinosus, and the rest of the genus, as restricted by Geoffroy. The
thumb is about two lines and a half long, including its slender claw, which rather exceeds ha]f
a line.
Dimensions.'
Inches. Lines. '"v Inches
Length of body and head . . . 1 10 Height of the tragus . . . . 0
.»> . . . 1 6 Spread of wings from tip of the middle
„ h e a d .....................................0 9 finger of the right wing to the tip of
Height of ear . . . . 0 8 the corresponding finger of the left
Breadth of ditto near the middle . . 0 4 wing „ . • . . 10
It is broader at the base.
This Bat is the most common species-near the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains
on the upper branches of the Saskatchewan and Peace Rivers. Mr. Say’s
specimen was obtained near the head of the Arkansas, within sight of the mountains
; and the description he gives of it corresponds so nearly with my specimens,
that I have no hesitation in considering them to be the same. Say’s Bat has a
general resemblance to the Vespertilio: pipistrellus of the British isles; but the
latter has one grinder of a side fewer, weaker canine teeth, a smaller ear, and a
shorter thumb and claw. Its fur is likewise shorter, and its back and belly do not
exhibit such distinct shades of colour. It seems to approach near to the Vespertilio
emarginatus of Geoffroy, as Mr. Say has remarked; but I have not been able to
obtain a specimen of the latter with which I might compare it. The Carolina
Bat differs in the shape of the tragus, which is semi-cordiform, but resembles this
one nearly in the cotour of the fur and in general form.
[ 3 .] 1 . S o r e x P a l u s t r i s . (Richardson.) American Marsh-Shrew.
Genus. Sorex. L inn.'
Sorex palustris. Richardson. Zoological Journal, No. xii. April, 1828.
S. ( palustris) caudd corpus longitudine excedenti, auriculis subvestitis vellere latentibus, corpore cinerascenli-nigro ;
subter cinereo.
Shrew, with the tail longer than the body, short hairy ears concealed by the fur, back somewhat hoary.black, belly
ash-gray.
DESCRIPTION.
The dimensions of this animal are nearly the same with.. those o f the Musaraigne de
Daubentonor Water Shrew of Pennant, and are considerably greater than those of the
S. constrictus, with which it seems to have some relations.
Dental formula ; intermediary incisors ■§, lateral incisors gE* grinders = 30.
The two posterior lateral incisors are smaller than the two anterior ones on the same side,
and the latter are a little longer than the posterior lobes of the intermediary incisors. All the
lateral incisors have small lobes on their inner sides. The tips of the teeth have a shining
chestnut-brown colour.
Form.—The muzzle is shorter in proportion and broader than that of the Sorex parous.
The whole upper lip is bordered with whiskers, and the tips of the posterior ones, which are
the longest, reach behind the ears. The extremity of the muzzle is naked and two-lobed.
The eyes are visible. The ear is shorter than the fu r; its inferior margin is folded m ; there is
a heart-shaped lobe covering the auditory opening, and a transverse fold above it. The ears,
particularly the superior margins, are clothed with thick tufts of fur, like that on the rest of
the head. The tail appears to be rounded, or slightly four-sided from its base, to near the
tip, where it is compressed and terminated by a small pencil of hairs. I t is covered by a close
coat of short hair. The feet are clothed with rather coarse, short, adpressed hairs, those on
the sides of the toes being arranged somewhat in a parallel manner, but not very distinctly.
The fu r resembles that of the mole in softness, closeness, and lustre. On the superior
or dorsal aspect it is black, with a slightly hoary appearance when turned to the light. On
the ventral aspect it is ash-coloured. At the roots it is bluish-gray. The outside of the
thighs and upper surface of the tail correspond in colour with the back, the under surface of
the tail and inside of the thighs with the belly. The feet are paler than the back and a little
hoary. The nails are whitish,
-Dimensions,
Inches. Lines. (Inches.
Length from nose to origin of tail • • 3 6 Length of nose, from upper incisors, scarcely 0
,, of tail , . 2 7 Height of ear 0
„ of head . , , , - 1 2 Length of hind-foot from heel to end of the
„ from nose to eye . • . 0 7 nails , , , , . 0