SHREWS, MOLES AND BATS 395 



skull, the strong boring snout, and the spade-like hands, combined 

 with the smooth, cylindrical body, all aid the animal in its mar- 

 vellously rapid progress underground ; it may, in fact, be said almost 

 to swim through the soft, loose soil in which it makes its burrows. 



The Mole has no external ears, and its eyes are rudimentary, 

 but not altogether absent as is commonly supposed ; they are 

 very small and concealed beneath the fur which protects them 

 from the loose mould as the animal burrows its way through the 

 earth. Earth-worms and the underground larvae of various insects 

 constitute its principal food ; and the prey is probably discovered 

 by hearing and smell, both these senses being strongly developed. 

 The Mole is a very voracious animal, moreover, and will eat any 

 small creature, alive or dead, that it may chance upon. It is, 

 too, of a fierce disposition, and will fight savagely with others of 

 its own kind; should one of the combatants be completely 

 vanquished the victor will make a meal of it. 



The American " Star-Nosed " Mole (Condylura cristata) is dis- 

 tinguished by having a curious radiating appendage on the end 

 of its snout, and a very long tail. In its habits it much resembles 

 the Moles of the Old World. 



The Web-Footed Moles (genus Scalops), which also inhabit 

 America, have webbed hind-feet, and from this fact one would 

 naturally suppose them to be capable of swimming; they are 

 actually described by some authorities as " aquatic " animals, but 

 others state that this genus often lives far from the water and will 

 not voluntarily enter it. The Desmans, however, which also have 

 webbed hind-feet, are aquatic in their habits ; they live in holes on 

 the banks of lakes and streams, and spend a considerable part of 

 their time in the water. The fore-limbs of the Desmans are not 

 formed for digging like those of the other members of the Mole 

 family, and from certain resemblances to the shrew the genus forms 

 a connecting link between the two families. 



The Bats (order Chiroptera) enjoy the distinction of being the 

 only true flying Mammals. The flying squirrels and curious 

 flying lemurs do not actually fly, but parachute by means of the 

 folds of skin which unite the limbs. The scientific designation 

 Chiwptera is derived from two Greek words, meaning re- 

 spectively "hand" and "wing"; so the Bats may be described 

 as " hand-winged " animals. 



