CHAPTER V 



Order HI. Insectivora 

 (Insect-Eaters) 



THE animals comprised in the Insectivora are, as the 

 name implies, insect-eaters. Their distinguishing 

 characteristic is the teeth, generally no less than forty-four 

 in number, and among which there are none with flattened 

 surfaces. Even the molars are dotted with conical points, 

 which are admirably adapted to crushing the hard outer 

 coverings of some of the insects upon which they feed. 

 Some members of the order, however, have departed largely 

 from the insect diet, in one case changing it largely for fish 

 and in another for worms ; while some of them are quite 

 omnivorous. 



The Insectivores have short legs fitted with five toes 

 each, and in running they place the entire sole on the 

 ground. They are usually terrestrial, a few only are tree- 

 climbers. Most of them are nocturnal and largely lead a 

 subterranean life ; during the winter in cold countries they 

 enter into a more or less torpid state. 



The Insectivora are divided into at least nine families, 

 three of which, the Hedgehog, Mole, and Shrews, are well 

 represented in our own country. 



FAMILY ERINACEID^E 



HEDGEHOG- (Erinaceus europ&us). 

 Coloured Plate IV. Fig. 9. 



The Hedgehog is a native of most parts of Europe, the 

 temperate parts of Asia from the Urals to the Pacific, 



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