THE MOUSE AND ITS ALLIES 329 



Marine Carnivora comprise the seals (Fig. 303), walruses, 

 and sea-lions ; the more valuable of which are disappearing 

 as a result of man's lack of foresight. Altogether, the Car- 

 nivora comprise the most agile, the most intelligent, the 

 most dreadful, and some of the commercially most im- 

 portant of fellow-animals. 



The Cheiroptera, 1 or bats (Fig. 304), are extraordinarily 

 modified mammals, which, like the birds, seem to have 



FIG. 304. Synotus, an insectivorous bat. After Vogt and Specht. 



penetrated into the air to prey on the flying insects. Not 

 all bats are insectivorous, however, for certain Old World 

 bats feed on fruits. Our commonest species are the little 

 brown bats (with a nearly furless wing), and the red bat 

 (with patches of fur on the wing membrane). 



The Primates 2 are of interest because we ourselves are 

 placed in this category together with certain other animals 

 that have attained a less lofty station. The lowest Pri- 

 mates are the lemurs, found chiefly in Madagascar. These 

 have an arboreal habit, and feed on fruits, leaves, and 



1 x f Lpi hand ; Trre/^p, wing. 2 primus, the first. 



