vi] DISTRIBUTION OF SELECTED GROUPS 125 



Potamogale and Geogale of Madagascar, which in 

 turn are allied to the Tenrecs, e.g. Centetes of Mada- 

 gascar, where this family flourishes in many genera 

 and species. Centetes and Solenodon, with striking 

 mutual resemblances, have been a sore puzzle to the 

 zoo-geographer. 



Golden moles (Chrysochloris) inhabit South Africa, 

 but undoubtedly related to them is Necrolestes of 

 the mid-Miocene in Patagonia. Considering that the 

 above-mentioned families are not known from Europe, 

 these Insectivores with V-shaped molars indicate an 

 early Tertiary Afro- American land connexion. 



Hedgehogs in the wider sense disappeared from 

 America in the Oligocene ; descendants are the Indian 

 Gynmura and Erinaceus, the hedgehogs proper, now 

 in Eurasia and North America. 



Moles and shrews are now arctogaean, but with 

 very few in Africa, and the American immigrants 

 mentioned above have not reached tropical America. 



Tree-shrews, Tupaia, are Oriental ; the elephant 

 shrew, Hacroscelides, and other jumping shrews are 

 African. 



Bats. 



Bats have a world- wide distribution, limited only 

 by the polar climates. Some of the present genera 

 are first known from the Eocene of Europe, and 

 yet, and in spite of their power of flight, bats did 



