46 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
order in teeth and skull, but we know practically nothing of when or 
how the great wing-membranes were developed, except that they 
must have been of very ancient origin, for in the Oligocene epoch this 
feature was as fully formed as now. A few fragmentary jaws and 
wing bones are shown in the collection. 
Ill. INSECTIVORA. 
Hedgehogs, Moles, Shrews etc. Table-case. 
Small mammals of rather inferior organization with claws on the 
toes five digits on each foot, simple teeth with sharp cusps on the 
crowns and no gnawing teeth. 
The Insectivora are an order of animals defeated and dis- 
appearing in the struggle for existence, owing to the superior 
FIG. 21. SKULL OF THE HEDGEHOG. 
A surviving type of the insectivora. Natural size 
intelligence or better adaptation of their competitors. To escape 
utter destruction they have been forced into one or another 
peculiar mode of existence or method of defense, or have been 
driven to take refuge in the remoter corners of continents or in 
oceanic islands, where competition is less severe. The Hedge- 
hogs have survived by virtue of their stout and efficient prickly 
coat, which deters almost any carnivorous animal from meddling 
with them. The Moles have taken refuge in the earth, where 
their rivals are few, and they are out of reach of most enemies. 
The Shrews are partly protected by their unpleasant odor, partly 
by their small size, nocturnal habits and burrowing or otherwise 
