122 



THE COMMON MOLE. 



ury. With its tongue it can perform many offices of an elephant's 

 trunk, and will frequently seize and draw toward its mouth the articles 

 of food which may be beyond the reach of its lips. It has also been 

 seen to use its tail for the same purpose. 



Assisted by its prehensile tail, the Kinkajou is an admirable and 

 fearless climber, possessing the capability of suspending its body by the 

 hinder feet and the tail, and remaining in this inverted attitude for a 

 considerable space of time. It is evidently nocturnal in its habits, 

 being sadly distressed by the effect of daylight upon its eyes. 



It is easily tamed, and when domesticated is of a sportful nature, 

 delighting to play with those persons whom it knows and trusts, and 

 making pretence to bite, after the manner of puppies and kittens. It 

 is very susceptible to kindness, and is fond of the caresses which are 

 offered by its friends. In its wild state, however, it is a rather fierce 

 animal, and when assaulted offers such a spirited resistance, even to 

 human foes, that it will beat off any but a determined man, supposing 

 him to be unarmed and unassisted. 



INSECTIYORA. 



The animals which are comprised in the Insect-eating group are well 

 represented in England, in which country we find the Mole, the vari- 

 ous Shrews, and the Hedgehog, as examples of the Talpid^, or the 

 family of the Moles. 



Some of these creatures, such as the shrew, present so close an ex- 

 ternal resemblance to the common mice that they are popularly sup- 

 posed to belong to the same class, and are called by the same general 

 name. Many species live beneath the surface of the earth, and seek 

 in that dark hunting-ground the prey which cannot be enticed to the 

 NiX-^s.' '^N\^"-^^ "- ^^ surface in sufficient numbers to 



^>^v^^^^ — \$5^^^\ supply adequate nourishment for 



the ever-hungry worm-devourers. 

 Of all the insect-eating animals, 

 there is none wdiich is better known 

 by name than the Common Mole, 

 and very few which are less known 

 ^y^^. ..-_. ^ ^ l^y their true character. 



The Mole {Td^a Europcea). " On inspecting a living Mole that 



has been captured on the surface of earth, and comparing it with the 

 multitudinous creatures that find their subsistence on the earth's sur- 

 face, rejoicing in the full light of day, and free to wander as they please, 

 we cannot but feel some emotions of surprise at the sight of a creature 

 which is naturally debarred from all these sources of gratification, and 

 which passes its life in darkness below the surface of the ground. 



