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Show 344 MISS DOROTHY M. A. BATE ON THE [Dec. 1 , spines. ^ They fed well on bread and milk, hard-boiled eggs, and small pieces of raw meat. A Cypriote told m e that in summer hedgehogs are often found in the vineyards, where they feed on the grapes, which they would have no difficulty in reaching, for in Cyprus the vines are not trained on poles, but are every year cut back, only a short stump being left, so that the grapes may often be seen lying on or almost touching the ground. The accompanying photograph (text-fig. 43, p. 343) is of a young animal taken shortly after its capture. Erinaceus curopceus is included in the list of mammals given by Unger and Kotschy *, but this name, no doubt, was meant to apply to E. auritus, which appeals to be the only species of hedgehog found in the island. 9. CROCIDURA RUSSULA CYPRIA, subsp. n. The Shrew obtained undoubtedly belongs to what may be termed the C. russula-growp. Taking that from Western Europe as the typical form, it will be found that races intermediate between it and the one from Cyprus occur in different parts of the Continent. It is therefore proposed to distinguish the Cypriote Shrew by the above subspecific name, denoting the habitat of this island race. It differs considerably from typical specimens, from which it may be readily recognised by the following characters:-Size and general build slighter, approaching that of C. whitakeri de Winton, from Morocco t; skull smaller, tail longer, and average length of fur much shorter, this being particularly marked in the summer coat. The three examples procured are all females-one, caught in March, being in winter coat, while the other two, caught in July, show the lighter-coloured and shorter summer fur. The following measurements (in millimetres) were taken in the flesh, and those of a specimen from Liege in the collection of the British Museum are given for comparison :- Head TaU Hind foot> Ear> & body. No. 66(?) 58 46-5 11 9 No. 71 {2) 60 41 11 9 No. Ill {2 type) 60 43 12-5 10 Specimen from Liege ( 2 ) ••• 79 37 12*5 (B.M. No. 95.1.1.11.) Only one skin (No. Ill) is accompanied by a skull, though several portions of skulls found in the earth of a cave in the Kerynia Hills are, in every respect, similar to the recent one. This last measures 19 m m . in extreme length and 9 m m . in breadth, whilst the corresponding measurements of the skull belonging to the specimen from Liege mentioned above are 21 m m . and 9*5 m m . respectively. * Op. fit. f Proc. Zool. Soc. 1897, p. 954. |
