The stomach, when inflated, has its apex directed downwards, outwards, and
forwards, and the greatest breadth is obliquely across the abdominal cavity from
left to right, the apex of the cardiac portion lying close to the vertebral column,
directed to the right side, with the pyloric extremity immediately below it ventrally
and in the mesial line of the body., The greater curvature of the stomach is thus
from behind forwards, which is also the course of the extremely short, lower curvature,
which is only one-third the length of the backwardly projecting, upper margin of
the cardiac portion. Viewed from the left side, the stomach is seen to be deeper
than broad, and to be a truncated cone.. Viewing the viscera from behind, the
stomach, being inflated, is seen lying below thé left kidney, and the latter is almost
completely invested on its external half by the large spleen, the outer margin of
which nearly describes half a circle. The transverse portion of the pancreas passes
upwards to the pyloric angle, at which point a long lobule is prolonged along the
greater curvature of the stomach, half-way between the pylorus and the apex. A
long process follows the curve of the duodenum as far as to the apex of the right
kidney ; the pancreatic duct opens into the duodenum a short distance beyond the
pylorus* The right kidney is at a higher level than the left, and there is a deep
hepatic i/mpressio-renalis. The supra-renal bodies are well developed, rather rounded,
with one broad and one sharp border, with two flattened external surfaces. The
total length of the intestine is about 1 1 inches, and it has considerable capacity
and is of nearly equal width throughout, without any cæcum. The heart is elon-
gately pyramidal, and is only covered in its middle posteriorly by the left lobe of the
lung. The middle lobe of the right lung is only applied to a small area of the
right cardiac border, below the right auricle and to the right side of the latter
structure in one-half of its extent, the remainder of the auricle having the upper
lobe of the right lung on its external aspect. The heart is very large, the upper
border of the right auricle being nearly, in a spirit specimen, on a level with the
apex of the right lung, the cardiac apex being nearly on the same level with the
inferior border of the left lung. The ventricular portion of the heart is half an inch
long with a transverse breadth of three lines. The right is considerably larger
than the left auricle. The right lung, as observed, consists of three well-marked,
deeply-incised lobes, the uppermost lobe being the smallest and the lowest the largest.
The left lung is unilobular. The azygos lung is large, more than equalling the right
lobe of the right lung. I t consists of three parts, an anterior, rounded lobule which
bends round in front of the ascending cava, a posterior, curved lobulè between the
right and left lungs, and a left lobule between the heart and the left lung. The
liver has the right and left lateral fissures deeply incised, but there is no cystic
fissure, nor can I detect the presence of a gall bladder. The caudate and Spigelian
lobes are well developed.
By its dentition, if the small process on the inside of the first upper incisors were
left out of consideration, this aquatic shrew is a Crocidwra, whilst if its systematic
position were to be determined by its ciliated extremities and almost completely
hidden ear, it would be a Crossopus, but the European water-shrew has 32 redtipped
teeth and a differently clad tail, so that it is impossible to regard them as
generically identical. An examination of the skull proves that although by the
number and white character of its teeth it is allied to Crocidura, it is nevertheless
remarkably distinct from these non-aquatic shrews. The skull, like that of Crossopus
and Soriculus, is light and not marked by the strong ridges which characterise
the skull of Crocid/ura. The brain-case is relatively broader than in Crocidu/ra,
and, like the skulls of Crossopus and Soriculus, and especially Nectogale, baa a
much shorter temporal fossa than Crocidwra. The occipital region, as in Crossopus,
Soriculus, and Nectogale, is considerably uptilted, and the frontal region, as in
the two first, is considerably depressed. The marked double condyle is a character
in which it is resembled to a certain extent by Crocidwra, in which, however, the
separation of the condyle into two facets is carried to only a very limited extent
whereas in Soriculus and Awwrosorex it is as strongly developed as in this water-
shrew, and it seems also that this remarkable modification is quite as well marked in
Nectogale. The foramen ovale (?) occupies the same position in this shrew as in
Soriculus. I t is separated from Crossopus by the character of its teeth, which in
their colour and number resemble those of Nectogale, except that the inner side of
each of the first upper incisors is furnished with a talon. From Crossopus it is also
separated by the peculiar character of its tail, which in Crossopus is almost mouselike,
whilst in the shrew it is densely clad with flattened, coarse and rigid hairs.
The ciliation of the feet also of this form approaches more to what occurs in Nectogale
than in Crossopus. From Nectogale it is distinguished by the different
arrangement of the hair on the tail and by its unwebbed hind feet and longer
snout; and as it is thus impossible to classify this and the Japan water-shrew
with any existing genus, I have created the genus Chimarrogale1 for their
reception.
In its general form and structure it is more closely allied to Nectogale tha.n to
any other genus of Insectwora, and it thus appears to me that these two genera,
Nectogale and Chimarrogale, are entitled to rank as a distinct sub-Family,
Nectogali/nce.
In connection with these observations on the structure of this remarkable water-
shrew, I embrace the opportunity of here describing and figuring on the same plate
with Chimarrogale, by way of comparison, an equally remarkable, but terrestrial,
burrowing shrew exhibiting certain affinities with Talpa, from the neighbouring
region of Northern Assam, which has a fauna intimately allied to that of Yunnan
viz., Awwrosorex assameims, Andr.
1 % i¡J.ctppo; (mountain-torrent), and ya\i\ (Weasel).