628 MANUAL OF ZOOLOGY. 



guished by having the body covered with hair, and the feet not 

 adapted for digging ; whilst there are mostly external ears, and 

 the eyes are well developed. Of all the Insectivora, no division 

 is more abundant or more widely distributed than that of the 

 Shrew-mice. In general form and appearance the Shrews very 

 closely resemble the true Mice (Muridce) and the Dormice 

 (Myoxidcz), but they are in reality widely different, and must 

 not be confounded with them. The common Shrew (Sorex 

 araneus] and the Water-Shrew (Sorex fodiens) are both well- 

 known species of this family. The smallest known Mammal 

 is one of the Shrews (Sorex Etruscus\ which is not more than 

 two and a half inches in length, counting in the tail. Besides 

 the true Shrews, the Shrew-moles (Scalops] and the Elephant 

 Shrews (Macroscelides) are included in this family, the former 

 being North American, whilst the latter are African. 



Fam. 3. Erinaceida. The last family of the Insectivora is 

 that of the Hedgehogs, characterised by the fact that the 

 upper part of the body is covered with prickly spines, the feet 

 are not adapted for digging, and they have mostly the power 

 of rolling themselves into a ball at the approach of danger. 

 The common Hedgehog (Erinaceus EuropcEus] is in every way 

 a typical example of this family, but is too well known to re- 

 quire any description. Other species of Erinaceus have been 

 recorded from Africa and India. 



The "Tenrecs" (Cmtetes) are natives of Madagascar, and 

 may be regarded as Hedgehogs without the power of rolling 

 themselves up into a ball. They have no tail, and have the 

 skin beset with spines or spine-like bristles. 



The " Banxrings " (Tupaia) are arboreal in their habits, and 

 are confined to the Indian Archipelago. They must be regarded 

 as the type of a distinct family of Insectivora. They have a 

 long attenuated snout, with large eyes, a long body, and a close 

 fur intermixed with soft hairs. The feet are plantigrade, five- 

 toed, with naked soles and sickle-shaped claws. The tail is 

 longer than the body, compressed and fringed at the sides. 



GALEOPITHECID^E. 



Before passing on to the Quadrumana, mention must be 

 made here of a very singular animal which forms a kind of 

 connecting line between the orders of the Insectivora and 

 Quadrumana, having been sometimes placed in the one and 

 sometimes in the other, or having been regarded as the type 

 of a separate order. The order includes only the single genus 

 Galeopithecus, comprising the so-called " Flying Lemurs." All 



