10 THE BRITISH MAMMALS I ORDERS, FAMILIES, ETC. 



(Plecotus), in which the muzzle is hairy, and the barbastelle (Synotus), 

 in which the muzzle is bare. In those in which the ears are not 

 united at their junction with the head, one genus (Vesperugo) has the 

 ear margin reaching to the angle of the mouth, and there are either 

 one or two upper premolar teeth; in the other (Vespertilio), the 

 margin of the ear ends alongside the inner edge of the earlet, and 

 there are three upper premolars. These distinctions will, perhaps, 

 be clearer in tabular form, thus : 



CHIROPTERA 



1. (Rhinolophidae) 



Without earlet; nostrils with leaf-like appendages 

 Rhinolophus, i, 2. 



2. (Vespertilionidae) 



With earlet ; nostrils without leaf-like appendages. 



Ears united at base. 



Muzzle hairy Plecotus, 3. 

 Muzzle bare Synotus, 4. 



Ears not united at base. 



Ear margin ending near angle of mouth ; upper 

 premolars two or one Vespemgo, 5 to 9. 



Ear margin ending opposite inner edge of earlet ; 

 upper premolars three Vespertilio^ 10 to 15. 



Continuing with the genera, and leaving the species for further 

 consideration, we come to the three families of British insectivores. 

 The first of these is represented by the hedgehog, whose coat of 

 spines is distinctive. Of the other two, one includes only the mole 

 (Talpa), which is without external ears and has the eyes hidden by 

 the fur, the incisor teeth almost level and arranged in a semicircle, 

 and canines in the lower jaw, besides being almost as well known 

 from its external appearance as the hedgehog. In the remaining 

 family the ears are external, the eyes are not hidden in the fur, the 

 tail is long, the first pair of incisors are long, hooked, and point 

 forwards, and there are no canines in the lower jaw. This group 

 contains but two genera, one (Sorex) the land shrews, in which the 

 tail is squarish and uniformly haired, the feet are not fringed with 

 hairs, and the teeth number thirty-two ; the other (Crossopus), the 

 water shrew, having the tail fringed on the under surface with long 

 hairs, the feet fringed with hairs, and the teeth numbering thirty. 

 Arranging these as we did the bats, we have ; 



INSECTIVORA 



Coat spiny. 



I. (Erinaceidae) 

 Erinapeus, 16, 



