THE PEN-TAIL AND THE HEDGEHOa. 131 



scared by the rapidity of its movement through the air. Its food con- 

 sists of insects, which it captures iu open day. 



Although the Elephant Shrew is a diurnal animal, seeking its prey 

 in broad daylight, its habitation is made below the surface of the ground, 

 and consists of a deep and tortuous burrow, the entrance to which is a 

 perpendicularly-sunk shaft of some little depth. To this place of refuge 

 the creature always flies when alarmed, and, as it is so exceedingly swift 

 in its movements, it is not readily captured or intercepted. 



The color of the fur is a dark and rather cloudy brown, which is 

 warmed with a reddish tinge upon the side and flanks, and fades on 

 the abdomen and inner portions of the limbs into a grayish-white. The 

 generic name, 3facroseelides, is of Greek origin, in allusion to the great 

 length of its hinder limbs, and signifies " long-legged." It is but a small 

 animal, as the length of the head and body is not quite four inches in 

 measurement, and the tail is about three inches and a quarter. 



The extraordinary animal which has been recently brought before 

 the notice of zoologists, under the characteristic name of Pen-tail, is 

 a native of Borneo, from which country it was brought by Mr. Hugh 

 Low. 



It is about the size of a small rat, but appears to be of greater di- 

 mensions on account of its extremely long tail with the remarkable 

 appendage at its extremity. The tail is of extraordinary length when 

 compared with the size of the body, and is devoid of hair except at its 

 extremity, where it is furnished with a double row of stiff* hairs on each 

 side, which stand boldly out like the barbs of a quill pen or the feathers 

 of an arrow. The remainder of the tail is covered with scales, which 

 are square in their form, like those of the long-tailed rats, and of con- 

 siderable size. The color of the tail is black, and the bristly barbs are 

 white, so that this member presents a peculiarly quaint aspect. 



The fur which covers the body of the Pen-tail is extremely soft in 

 texture, and is of a blackish-brown tint above, fading into a yellowish 

 gray beneath. As the tips of the hair are tinged with a yellow hue, 

 the precise tint of the fur is rather indeterminate, and is changeable ac- 

 cording to the position of the hairs which are exposed to view. The 

 specimen which is preserved in the British Museum was captured by 

 Mr. Low in the house of Sir James Brook, the first rajah of Sarawak. 



The common Hedgehog, Hedgepig, or Urchin, is one of the most 

 familiar of English indigenous mammalia, being found in every part of 

 Great Britain which is capable of affording food and shelter. 



The hard round spines which cover the upper part of its body are 

 about an inch in length, and of a rather peculiar shape. This form 

 is wonderfully adapted to meet the peculiar objects which the spine is 

 intended to fulfil, as will be seen in the following account. 



The spines assume a nearly horizontal position upon the back of the 



