THE SPINY HEDGEHOGS— TANREC. 



297 



inaccessible holes under stones and in rocky crevices 

 and the burrows of other animals. They are very 

 timid and look upon the most trifling disturbance as 

 foreboding danger. They are true diurnal animals, 

 and might even be termed creatures of the sun which 

 feel most comfortable in the most torrid noonday 

 heat when they follow the chase with the greatest 

 ardor. Their food consists mainly of insects, which 

 they capture very dexterously, and pull out of crev- 

 ices and slits in the hillside. Nothing is so far 

 known about their mode of reproduction and no 

 observations seem to have been made with captive 

 specimens of the species. 



makes its appearance only after sunset. It shows 

 itself only during the spring and summer of those 

 countries: that is, after the first rain and until the 

 commencement of the dry season. During the great- 

 est drought it retreats into the deepest chamber of its 

 burrow, hibernating from April to November in the 

 same way that the Common Hedgehog lies torpid in 

 winter. Its food consists principally of insects, but 

 also of worms, Snails, Lizards and various fruits. It 

 seems to have a special predilection for water. 



In captivity the Tanrec eats raw meat, boiled rice 

 and bananas. It sleeps through the day and be- 

 comes very lively at night. 



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FIFTH FAMILY: CentetimJ. 



The members of the fifth family of the order 

 under consideration are the Centetidae, or Spiny 

 Hedgehogs, taking their appellation from an insect- 

 ivorous, Hedgehog-like in- 

 habitant of Madagascar. 

 They are of elongated build, 

 long-headed and distin- 

 guished by a fairly long 

 snout; the eyes are small, 

 the ears of moderate size, 

 the tail either altogether 

 lacking or long and desti- 

 tute of hair; the legs are 

 short and terminate in five- 

 toed feet, armed with strong 

 claws. They are clothed 

 partly with quills, partly 

 with stiff hair. 



Principal The Tanrec 

 Traits of the ( Centctcs ec- 

 Tanrec. audatus) is 



mainly remarkable because 

 of its pointed snout. The 

 entire body is clothed rather 

 thickly with spines, bristles 

 and hairs, which to a certain 

 extent merge into one an- 

 other or at least distinctly 

 serve to show that the 

 spines are nothing but mod- 

 ified hairs. True and some- 

 what flexible spines, about 

 half an inch long, are found 

 only on the back of the head 

 and on the nape and sides 

 of the neck. The tip of the 

 snout and the ears are en- 

 tirely bare, but the feet are 

 covered with short hair. 

 Quills and hair are of a light yellow color, ringed 

 with brownish black in the middle, this marking 

 being more pronounced on the back than on the 

 sides. The length of an adult animal is about ten 

 or eleven inches. 



The Tanrec was originally indigenous only to 

 Madagascar, but has been naturalized also on the 

 islands of Mauritius, Mayotte and Reunion. It de- 

 lights in mountainous regions abounding in bushes, 

 ferns and moss, and there it excavates the burrows 

 and passages in the ground, which form its hiding 

 place. It is a shy, timid creature, which spends the 

 greater part of the day in the utmost retirement and 



THE ELEPHANT SHREW. The picture shows a very 



odd looking animal, with its remarkably long hind-legs and its pro- 

 boscis-like muzzle, adorned with straggling whisker hairs. They 

 roam in the glare of the African sunlight and seek, in the holes and 

 crevices of stony hillsides, the insects which form their food. (Ma- 

 croscelides iypicus. ) 



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SIXTH FAMILY: Soricid^. 



The Shrews among the Insectivora remind us of 

 the Weasels among the beasts of prey. Like them, 

 they are possessed of all faculties implied by a true 

 predatory life, inhabit the 

 most diverse regions, and 

 exhibit an amount of cour- 

 age, bloodthirstiness and 

 cruelty utterly at variance 

 with their small size. 



General The Shrews 



Account of the belong to 

 Shrews. the smallest 



of mammals, like the Bats; 

 they are of well propor- 

 tioned build, their external 

 appearance recalling Rats 

 and Mice. The body is slen- 

 der, the muzzle elongated, 

 the teeth are complete in 

 number and exceedingly 

 sharp; usually there are two 

 or three cutting teeth, which 

 are sometimes indented, 

 from three to five premo- 

 lars and from three to four 

 true molars, furnished with 

 four or five tubercles in 

 every row. Canine teeth 

 proper are absent. There 

 are peculiar glands at the 

 base of the tail. The body 

 is clothed in soft, velvety 

 fur; lips, feet and tail are 

 grown with small, stiff hairs; 

 the whisker hairs on the 

 cheeks are long, the sides 

 of the feet are covered with 

 bristly hair, in sharp con- 

 trast with the naked soles. 

 Distribution and At present the Shrews are distrib- 

 Traitsof u ted over the Old World and North 

 Shrews. America; in Australia and South 



America they do not occur. They frequent plains 

 as well as mountainous regions and even the Alps, 

 delighting in dense forests and bushes, meadows 

 and pasture-grounds, gardens and houses. The ma- 

 jority give the preference to damp localities; some 

 are remarkable for their water-loving propensities. 

 Many lead a subterranean life, either scooping out 

 burrows and passages for themselves or profiting by 

 already existing retreats, after driving away the 

 rightful owner, in accomplishing which they resort 



