COBEGOS. 



309 



The tendencj' being for low forms to disappear wlien brought into competition 

 witli higher t\^es of animal life, it is interesting to observe that the Insectivores 

 have either survived in islands, like Madagascar or Cuba, where the higher forms 

 of Mammals are few or wanting, or, in the continental areas have acquired habits 

 which serve to protect them from the attacks of foes. For instance, in addition to 

 being stricth' nocturnal, which is of itself a gi-eat protection, most of the Insectivores 

 live in the depths of forests, or concealed among the stems and roots of coppices 

 and shi-ubs, or in the deserted holes of other animals ; while the moles have taken 

 to a completely subterranean life, and the hedgehogs have acquired a special pro- 

 tection in their coat of thick-set spines. Othei-s, again, like the water-shrews 

 and the desmans, have resoi-ted to the water, and hide themselves during their 

 periods of i-epose in holes in the banks of rivers and lakes ; while the diurnal 

 tree-shrews seek the protection atlbrded by a life among the boughs of forest 

 trees, after the manner of squin-els. Finally, the flying cobegos are peculiar in 

 possessing the power of taking flying leaps from tree to tree, and are thus secure 

 during their hours of movement from most enemies except man. 



The Cobegos or Kaguans. 

 Family Galeopithecid^. 



Few Mammals have been a greater j^uzzle to zoologists, as regards their proper 

 .sj'stematic position, than the cobegos, colugos, kubongs, or kaguans, of the 

 Malaj'au region. These animals, of which there are two species, are known to 

 the natives of the regions thej- inhabit by the names above mentioned, but thej- 

 are connnonly spoken of by Europeans either as flying lemurs or flying bats. 

 They constitute the genus Galeopithecus of zoologists, which is the tj^pe of a 

 distinct family ; and as recent researches have shown that they come nearer to the 

 Insectivores than to anj' other group, they are now generally' regarded as con- 

 stituting a special division of that order. 



The most characteristic external feature of these curious animals is the para- 

 chute formed by folds of skin running along the sides of the neck and body, and 

 connected with the long and slender limbs, of which the fingers and toes are webbed 

 as far as the roots of their strong and curved claws. This parachute-like membrane 

 is continued between the hind-legs to include the whole of the long tail, in which 

 respect these animals differ from the flying squirrels to be mentioned hereafter. 

 One of their most peculiar features is to be found in the structure of their lower 

 front, or incisor teeth, which are quite unlike those of any other Mammal, or indeed 

 of any animal. In both jaws these incisor teeth are expanded lateralh', and 

 compressed from front to back, with a number of cusps on their summits, and those 

 of the lower jaw have very wide, flattened crowns, penetrated bj- a number of 

 parallel vertical slits, so that they resemble small combs mounted upon narrow 

 stems. Then, again, the outermost of the two pairs of upper incisor teeth, as well 

 as the upper tusk, or canine (which is nearly similar to the incisors), are inserted 

 in the jaws by two distinct roots. This is a unique feature among living Mammals, 

 although the moles and hedgehogs have two roots to their upper tusks. 



