THE MOUSE AND ITS ALLIES 3*27 



a true antelope, as is also the chamois of Europe. The 

 prong-horn of our Southwestern plains is remarkable in 

 having hollow horns like the antelopes, which are, how- 

 ever, shed like those of the deer. 



The Odd-toed Ungulates include the horses, tapirs, and 

 rhinoceroses. The horses are remarkable in that they stand 

 upon the toe-nail of the middle digit all the other digits 

 being rudimentary or absent. While fossil remains of 

 horses are found in all continents, the living species have 

 come from Asia and Africa. The African species are 

 striped (zebras). The tapirs are found living to-day 

 only in South America and southeastern Asia. They 

 frequent the depths of forests near watercourses and 

 feed on leaves and shoots of shrubbery. The rhinoceroses 

 of Africa, of India, of Java, and of the Malay Archipelago 

 are quite distinct. All are large, stupid, and ferocious 

 when attacked, feed on herbage, and wallow in pools. 



The elephants are distinguished by their long trunks, 

 great incisors (tusks), and huge, complex grinding teeth. 

 The Indian and African types are quite distinct. Ele- 

 phants are intelligent, tractable, and capable of doing 

 much work for man. Their diet is vegetable, consisting 

 especially of the leaves and young branches of forest 

 trees, which they gather with their proboscis. 



The Insectivora 1 are small mammals and chiefly terres- 

 trial. One of our common families includes species of 

 moles which burrow in the ground, have small eyes and 

 broad, shovel-shaped fore feet, used for digging their bur- 

 rows. They feed chiefly on earthworms. The other 

 common family is that of the shrews, which are mouse-like, 

 live chiefly on the surface and in the woods, and feed on 

 insects and small crustaceans. 



1 insectum, an insect ; vomre, to devour. 



