CHAPTER XXX 



SHREWS. MOLES AND BATS 



THE Insectivora, or insect-eating animals, are an interesting group 

 of comparatively small Mammals. Though many have an external 

 resemblance to various rodents, anatomically they are entirely 

 distinct. Generally speaking, the Insectivora have short limbs 

 provided with five toes, are " plantigrade " that is to say, in 

 walking they always plant the sole of the foot flat upon the ground 

 have long muzzles, and are usually clothed with fur. In their 

 habits they are nocturnal, with one or two exceptions, and they 

 pass the winter months as a rule in a state of partial or complete 

 hibernation. They are shy animals, generally living concealed 

 among the roots of trees or under herbage in the depths of forests. 

 Many take possession of holes deserted by other animals, and some 

 burrow in the ground and lead a subterranean existence. Their 

 food consists mainly of insects, worms and snails, but this diet 

 is not in all cases strictly adhered to, one species living on fish, 

 while others will devour almost anything. The character of their 

 teeth and the fact that these animals have a curiously scattered 

 and isolated distribution point to their being a very ancient order 

 of creatures. The incisor teeth are not chisel-like as in the rodents, 

 but the first pair, placed on the sides of the jaws, are often longer 

 than the others, and the upper molars are covered with a number 

 of sharp conical cusps fitted for piercing the tough integument of 

 many of the insects the animals devour. The Insectivora may be 

 divided into two sub-orders (i) the Insectivora vera, which includes 

 the Hedgehogs, Tenrec, Moles, and Shrews ; and (2) the Dermoptera, 

 the so-called Flying Lemurs. The order Chiroptera comprises 

 the Bats. 



In Australia and South America the Insectivora are unknown, 

 but they are widely scattered over other parts of the globe. In the 

 British Isles the order is well represented, and in the West Indian 



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