MAMMALS. 605 



his inquisitiveness. It was a pleasure to watch him take the nuts from 

 one receptacle, and then hunt for some other place to hide them. If they 

 were placed in his nest, he seemed to think my pocket was a far preferable 

 place to store them, while the pocket in turn was deemed far less secure 

 than a hole underneath the sofa. In every motion he was a picture of 

 grace, and every one was soon his friend. 



Insectivorous Mammals. 



The small animals known as insectivores need detain us but a little ; 

 for they are comparatively uninteresting. Indeed, a large number of them 

 possess not the slightest interest for any except the professional natural- 

 ist. As their name implies, insects form the larger part of their food; 

 but this is merely a physiological character, and is of no consequence in 

 classification. With this peculiarity in food there are also a number of 

 structural features which at once mark the group as distinct from all other 

 mammals. It must be remarked, however, that all the members are not 

 exclusively insectivorous ; the tanrec of Madagascar feeds on earthworms, 

 the almiqui of Cuba will attack poultry, another Malagassy species destroys 

 rice, while others may eat fruit, fish, and various other substances. These 

 are, however, but exceptions to the general rule. 



The hedge-hogs and the porcupines are frequently confused, in the 

 common mind, but in reality the two are very distinct, and have little 

 besides the armor of spines in common. But even in these we notice a 

 difference. In the porcupine the spines are easily detached, and may be 

 left sticking in the mouth of the dog who is so venturesome and rash as to 

 attack one of these animals. In the case of the hedge-hog, on the other 

 hand, the spines are firmly implanted in the skin. When the hedge-hog 

 is attacked, he merely rolls up in a ball, presenting nothing but spines 

 sticking out in every direction. One species is common in the Old World, 

 extending from England and Ireland to China, and the other species, 

 eighteen in number, are likewise confined to the Old World. The species 

 figured seeks some hole in which to spend the winter, either under the 

 roots of trees or in clefts of the rocks, and here it stays in a completely 

 torpid state until the return of spring. 



The shrews are far more familiar to us than the spiny creature just 

 mentioned. They are very mouse-like in appearance, except that the nose 

 runs off into a long, sharp point. Some of our species are terrestrial, and 

 some aquatic, but none have attained the notoriety of the common species 

 of England. Around these an extensive folk-lore has accumulated. One 

 belief is that if a shrew but cross a path or road, instant death is the pen- 



