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Show 1 877.] MR. E. R. ALSTON ON A N E W SHREW. 445 PLATE XLVIII. B. moniliger d, No. 4, p. 442, from a skin from Ceylon. Mus. nostr. PLATE XLIX. B. moniliger 2 > No. 1, 440, from a skin collected at Rattabown, Ceylon. Mus. nostr. 3. On an undescribed Shrew from Central America By E D W A R D R. ALSTON, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. [Received April 26, 1877.] Among the Central-American Mammals in the British Museum are two shrews from Guatemala which were named but not described by the late Dr. Gray as Corsira temlyas1, and are labelled and catalogued in the Museum as C. teculyas. A comparison with the other American Soricidee convinces m e that they represent an undescribed species; and Dr. Elliott Coues, who is at present at work on the American Insectivora, and to whom I have sent a short description of them, is of the same opinion. Dr. Gunther, with his usual courtesy, has had the skull extracted from one of the specimens ; so that I am able to describe the dentition of the species, which proves to belong to the restricted genus (or subgenus) Sorex, characterized by the possession of thirty-two teeth in all. In describing these I have accepted the views of Dr. E. Brandt as to the homologies of the teeth in this family2. As neither of Gray's names has any claim to adoption, and as both are barbarous, I propose to call this Shrew SOREX VER^-PACIS, sp. n. Corsira temlyas, J. E. Gray, P. Z. S. 1843, p. 79 (sine descr.). C. teculyas ejusd. M S . Ears moderate, thickly clothed with rather long fur. Tail rather long, clad with short closely pressed hairs which conceal the scales. Colour nearly uniform dark dusky brown, hardly lighter beneath, feet and tail dusky. Fur short and close, dark slate-colour at the base, tipped with dark brown. Approximate measurements from the mounted type specimens : - inches. inches. Length of head and body 3*45 3*35 tail 2*05 2*00 hind foot *53 *50 >J Teeth white, tipped with brown. First upper incisor stout, falcate, with a well-marked internal cusp ; second to fourth simple, gradually diminishing in size, canine slightly smaller than fourth incisor. Premolar very small, hardly higher than the cingulum of the first molar. 1 P. Z. S. 1843, p. 79. . ,„,,,,, . .___ 2 " Izslvedovaniya o zubnoi sistemye kutor 1 zemleroek, St. Petersburg, 18b5 (cf. Zool. Rec. 1866, pp. 24-27); " Untersuchungen liber dasi Gebiss der Spitz-mause," Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscou, vol. xii. (2de p.) pp. 7b-95, pie. i.-vi., vol. xlvi. (2de pt.) pp. 1-79. |