Context : NGC 4441 is a candidate for a merger between a spiral and an elliptical galaxy ( S+E merger ) , because it shows typical tidal structures such as an optical tail and two shells .
With a far-infrared luminosity of \sim 5 \cdot 10 ^ { 9 } L _ { \odot } this galaxy belongs to the class of moderate luminosity mergers , in which the merging process induces ( if at all ) only a moderate starburst .

Aims : The study of the atomic gas content allows us to investigate the merger history and the impact on the star formation .
In particular , it is not clear from simulations whether an S+E merger leads to a gas concentration in the nucleus , resulting in a starburst , or whether the gas is spread out and therefore too diffuse for new star forming regions .

Methods : We used the Westerbork Radio Synthesis Telescope to observe the properties of the H i .
By using this interferometer , we are able to study the large-scale H i distribution and kinematics with high spatial and velocity resolution .

Results : We found two H i tails extending out to more than 40 kpc .
In a central disc , the gas shows a fairly regular rotation pattern indicating that the gas started to settle after the merger .
The total H i mass adds up to 1.5 \cdot 10 ^ { 9 } M _ { \odot } .
By comparing the high resolution H i maps with deep optical images , differences between the stellar and gaseous tidal features are apparent , which indicates an S+E merger origin .

Conclusions :