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Some Remarks on the Genus Sorex, with a Monograph of the North American Species. By JOHN BACHMAN, D. D.; President of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Charleston, South Carolina, &c.

LESS attention appears to have been paid by the naturalists of our country to the quadrupeds belonging to this Genus, than to those of any other. Although several species have been designated few of them have been so accurately described, and figured, as to enable the student of nature to identify the species with any degree of certainty. This is not to be wondered at, when we take into consideration their diminutive size, their nocturnal habits, and their subterranean retreats during the day. The bird, however small, may be detected by its flight and active restless habits. Our larger quadrupeds are pursued and captured on account of the value, either of their flesh, or

skins; or extirpated in consequence of their depredations. But the shrews, being less in size than many of our insects, live in obscure retreats where their habits can only be studied with great difficulty; and are so seldom found, that although their little galleries may be daily seen in our furrows and ditches, not an individual reaches the eye for months.

It was not, indeed, till a recent period (1756) that more than one species of this Genus was known to exist on the Eastern Continent. The celebrated Dr. GALL, who, in his early years; was an enthusiastic student of natural history, devoting himself particularly to an examination of the smaller quadrupeds, made known to Professor HERMANN of Strasburgh, the existence of three new species. M. GEOFFROY ST. HILLAIRE subsequently published descriptions of several new species existing in France; and the number of European species has since been considerably augmented by the assiduous labours of naturalists of the present day.

CUVIER, one of the most eminent of modern naturalists, doubted the existence of a single true Sorex in America.

Since then, several species have been added to the Fauna of our country, and Dr. RICHARDSON,

in his Fauna Boreali-Americana, has published descriptions of three species, as existing in the northern parts of our Continent, none of which, if we may judge from his descriptions, have, to our knowledge, been as yet detected in the United States.

We would remark, as an encouragement to naturalists, that in none of the Genera of quadrupeds in our country, is there a greater probability of new discoveries being made; nor a greater necessity for minute investigations in settling the characters by which the species may be recognised, than in this Genus. We are under an impression that the different species of Sorex are restricted to several favourite localities, and that the different portions of our country possess species that are not to be found in others. We have no evidence that any of our species are identical with those found on the Eastern Continent. We even think, that the SOREX brevicaudus of SAY, found in Missouri, requires a more careful comparison with the animal found in the middle states, that goes under the same name, before their identity can be fully established. There are, undoubtedly, several species, even in the cultivated districts of the United States, which have not yet been described. We obtained a

specimen in the northern parts of the state of New York, but which we neglected preserving, which, as far as we can recollect after the lapse of twenty years, was a different species from any that we have since seen described; and three years ago, we saw a specimen of another, in the possession of an intelligent naturalist, W. COOPER Esq., of New York, that appeared to be new. Whilst much remains evidently to be done in this department, a good deal of difficulty will be found in defining the different species, in consequence of the difference between the young and adult animals. These often differ, not only in colour, but in the number of their teeth. In Europe, naturalists have for some years been engaged in cutting off nominal species, which can only be done by examining, not only the external forms, size, and colours, but the teeth and heads of many specimens of each. In our own country, naturalists should endeavour to collect and preserve all the specimens that can be procured, so that by possessing a series of each species, in the periods of their different ages, they could be described and figured in a manner not easily to be mistaken. The difficulty in procuring specimens seems to have been considerably overrated. Let our naturalists, in every part of our country,

encourage the farmer to place in spirits every little quadruped of this Genus, that is ploughed up in his fields or dug from his ditches, and they will not fail to procure a considerable number of specimens in a short time. We recently received several shrews, procured by a friend in the country by means of a small board-trap, placed in his rice fields, baited with meat.

In order to contribute the information we have been able to collect on the animals belonging to this Genus, and to stimulate farther inquiries, we proceed to give an account of species of which we have read no descriptions.

1. SOREX Carolinensis. Carolina Shrew.

Characters. Carolina shrew, with a short flat tail; ears not visible; body of a nearly uniform gray colour.

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