368 



TYPES OF ANIMAL LIFE 



The body is clothed with coarse hair and the fore-paws 

 have very long claws. There is an exceedingly prolonged 

 proboscis-like snout, and a long and naked tail. 



In South Africa certain burrowing animals are found 

 which are known as golden moles. Their eyes are 

 covered by the hairy skin of the head, and their very 

 small ears are concealed in their fur, the tail is rudimen- 

 tary, and the claws of their fore-paws are very long and 

 powerful. There can be no doubt but that golden moles 

 and true moles have been evolved independently, just as 



Fig. 103. 



THE GOLDEN MOLE. 



there seems to be no essential generic relationship between 

 some of the burroAving rodents. 



The foregoing animals are by universal consent classed 

 together in a single order — Insectivora. 



The animal before spoken of * as having recently been 

 discovered in Australia, and called Notoryctes, is very 

 interesting, because it so much resembles a golden mole, 

 thus constituting one more striking example of the 

 independent origin of similar structures. 



We have before mentioned * the colugo, the so-called 



* See ante, p. 60. f See ante, p. 175. 



