260 



ZOOLOGY. 



this burrow it constructs a nest of dried grass, in which it 

 lies curled up in an unconscious state. Peculiar to the 

 Western plains is the prairie-dog {Cynomys Ludovicianus; 

 see Frontispiece, on the right side), which represents the 

 marmots of the Old World; it is semi-social, and takes in 

 perforce as boarders the owl and rattlesnake, which devour 

 its young. 



Order 3. Insectivora. — In the moles the fore feet are 

 plantigrade, with large claws, and the entire limb is short, 



thick, muscular, and adapted 

 for burrowing in the soil (Fig. 

 298). The shrews comprise the 

 smallest mammals. Nearly all 

 are nocturnal, burrowing under 

 the surface, and never seen by 

 day; consequently, their eyes 

 are small, and mostly hid under 

 the fur; while the ears are small 

 and concealed by the hair. 



The shrews are mouse-like, 

 having feet of the normal form, 

 and a long nose. In our com- 



huuierus';54, ulna; 55, radius. mon shrew (SoreX platyi'hillVS, 



Fig. 299), the nose is long, and the tail shorter than the 

 head and body. 



The genuine moles are the characteristic forms of the 

 order; the most peculiar being the star-nosed mole, Condy- 

 lura cristata, which occurs from the Atlantic to the Pacific 

 Ocean, while the common mole (Fig. 300) is abundant in 

 the Eastern United States. 



A flying form, with a superficial resemblance to the bat, 

 and with the same habit of sleeping head downward, hold- 

 ing on by its hind feet, is the Galeopithecus of the East 

 Indies. This singular creature has been placed among the 

 lemurs by some authors. G. vola?is inhabits Java, Suma- 

 tra, Borneo, and Siam. 



This creature, says Wallace, has a broad membrane ex- 



Fig. 298.— Bones of fore-leg of a 

 Mole. 52, the cubital scapula; 58, 



