ANIMALS WITH ARMOUR 



107 



The Common Tenrec and its allies are entirely confined to 

 Madagascar and a few of the neighbouring islands. As Fig. 79 

 shows, they have long snouts and a body somewhat akin to that 

 of the animal last under review. Whilst the common species does 

 not possess a tail, the Hedgehog-Tenrecs have a short appendage 

 as in the European animal. 



These Hedgehog-Tenrecs cannot, however, roll their body into 

 a complete ball in the same way as the Common Hedgehog, for 

 it is found that the powers of muscular contraction are far less 

 developed, and whilst the animals are not related, it is most interest- 

 ing to observe that both possess spines of a similar nature, which 

 are used as weapons of defence in a similar way, that the food is 

 somewhat similar and that they are nocturnal. 



The Madagascan animals are smaller than the Common Hedge- 

 hog, one species being about six inches in length, whilst another 

 of these Hedgehog-Tenrecs is still smaller. 



Besides the foregoing, there are the Streaked Tenrecs, the Long- 

 Tailed Tenrecs and the Rice-Tenrecs. None of these possess spines, 

 and cannot therefore be justly included as armoured animals, and 

 the mere mention of them must suffice, as the reader can, if he so 

 desires, follow up the subject on his own account, for these com- 

 parisons cannot fail at all times to prove of interest to the zealous 

 and painstaking student of animal life. 



