312 THE INSECTIVORES 



The tendency being for low forms to disappear when brought into competition with 

 higher types of animal life, it is interesting to observe that the Insectivores have 

 either survived in islands, like Madagascar or Cuba, where the higher forms of 

 Mammals are few or wanting, or, in the continental areas have acquired habits 

 which serve to protect them from the attacks of foes. For instance, in addition to 

 being strictly nocturnal, which is of itself a great protection, most of the Insectivores 

 live in the depths of forests, or concealed among the stems and roots of coppices and 

 shrubs, or in the deserted holes of other animals ; while the moles have taken to a 

 completely subterranean life, and the hedgehogs have acquired a special protection 

 in their coat of thick-set spines. Others, again, like the water-shrews and the 

 desmans, resort to the water, and hide themselves during their periods of repose 

 in holes in the banks of rivers and lakes ; while the diurnal tree-shrews seek the 

 protection afforded by a life among the boughs of forest trees, after the manner 

 of squirrels. Finally, the flying cobegos are peculiar in possessing the power of 

 taking flying leaps from tree to tree, and are thus secure during their hours of 

 movement from most enemies except man. 



THE COBEGOS OR KAGUANS 

 Family GALEOPITHECID^E 



Few Mammals have been a greater puzzle to zoologists, as regards their proper 

 systematic position, than the cobegos, colugos, kubongs, or kaguans, of the Malayan 

 region. These animals, of which there are two species, are known to the natives of 

 the regions they inhabit by the names above mentioned, but they are commonly 

 spoken of by Europeans either as flying lemurs or flying bats. They constitute the 

 genus Galeopithecus of zoologists, which is the type of a distinct family ; and as 

 recent researches have shown that they come nearer to the Insectivores than to any 

 other group, they are now generally regarded as constituting a special division of 

 that order. 



The most characteristic external feature of these curious animals is the para- 

 chute formed by folds of skin running along the sides of the neck and body, and 

 connected with the long and slender limbs, of which the fingers and toes are webbed 

 as far as the roots of their strong and curved claws. This parachute-like membrane 

 is continued between the hind legs to include the whole of the long tail, in which 

 respect these animals differ from the flying squirrels to be mentioned hereafter. One 

 of their most peculiar features is to be found in the structure of their lower front, or 

 incisor teeth, which are quite unlike those of any other Mammal, or indeed of any 

 animal. In both jaws these incisor teeth are expanded laterally, and compressed 

 from front to back, with a number of cusps on their summits, and those of the lower 

 jaw have very wide, flattened crowns, penetrated by a number of parallel vertical 

 slits, so that they resemble small combs mounted upon narrow stems. Then, again, 

 the outermost of the two pairs of upper incisor teeth, as well as the upper tusk, or 

 canine (which is nearly similar to the incisors), are inserted in the jaws by two dis- 



