THE TANA 101 



mammals, the most nearly related to the Marsupials of 

 Australia and America. 



The animal is very prolific ; usually fifteen or sixteen 

 young ones at a birth, sometimes, indeed, as many as 

 twenty-one. Madagascar is the headquarters of the Tanrec, 

 but it is also now found in Mauritius and Reunion. For 

 six months in the year June to December it goes to sleep 

 in a hole which it has dug for the purpose. When it retires 

 it is very fat, which is just the time that the natives set out 

 to hunt for what they regard as a great delicacy. Opinions 

 differ concerning the flesh, for while some people compare 

 it to sucking-pig, others complain of its musky flavour. 



Owing to its strictly nocturnal habits the Tanrec is not 

 an animal that easily lends itself to observation. Insects 

 and worms are the staple items in its diet, to which it adds 

 roots and fruits. 



The Tendrac (Ericulus spinosus), another member of the 

 family, is often confounded with the last-named animal, 

 whereas it is a much smaller creature than our common 

 hedgehog, which it closely resembles in appearance. 



FAMILY TUPAIID^E. 



TANA (Tupaia tana). 

 Coloured Plate XIV. Fig. 5. 



This animal, which at one time was confounded with the 

 Squirrels and the Lemurs, is purposely figured with the 

 Rodents to allow of easy comparison with the squirrel. 

 The generic name was derived by Sir Stamford Raffles, who 

 first discovered the creature, from the Malay name for 

 squirrel. There are more than a dozen species of the Tupaias 

 or Tree Shrews, which are widely distributed between India 

 and the Philippines. The family belongs to the group of 

 animals more commonly known as the Bangsrings. Though 

 the Tana is one of the larger species, its body is only eight 

 or nine inches in length and covered with rather long, soft, 

 glistening, reddish-brown hair. The tail is long and bushy, 

 and the hair is arranged very much in two rows, something 

 like the feathers of an arrow-shaft. The animal greatly 

 resembles the squirrel, not only in appearance, but also in 



