264 Descriptive Zoology. 



familiar to all. They make these ridges in burrowing for 

 earthworms and grubs, which are their main food. They 

 are well fitted for digging by the very large front feet and 

 strong muscles of the front legs. Since they live in dark- 

 ness, the eyes have become rudimentary, sometimes con- 

 cealed by the skin. The teeth are like those of a diminu- 

 tive flesh eater. The nose is long, bare at the tip, and very 

 sensitive. There are no external ears. The shrews are 

 mouselike and are probably often mistaken for mice, as 

 the front feet are not enlarged as in the moles ; but the 

 nose is more pointed, and one look at the teeth would show 

 that a shrew is not a "gnawer." This order also includes 

 the hedgehog of the old world, which has the hairs devel- 

 oped as sharp spines. The fact that both the hedgehog 

 and porcupine have sharp spines leads to confusion. It is 

 unfortunate that many writers are either uninformed or 

 careless in this matter and further extend an already wide- 

 spread error. The two animals are entirely distinct, and 

 the following tabular statement may aid in showing their 

 points of difference : 



DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A HEDGEHOG AND A 



PORCUPINE. 

 HEDGEHOG. PORCUPINE. 



Insectivora Order Rodentia 



Conical points Teeth . . . Chisel-shaped incisors 



Insects, etc Food Herbage 



Not barbed } ~ . ( Barbed 



Firmly attached f ^ } . . . . Loosely attached 



Less than a foot Size .... Two feet or more 



Old world Habitat . . Both old world and new 



The Bats. The bats of this country are insectivorous, 

 and would undoubtedly be classed with the preceding 

 order if they were not flyers. The wing is a fold of skin 



