162 MR. J. K. LORD ON UROTRICHUS. [Apr. 12, 
of hind foot. So far, I have endeavoured to give an outline of his 
general personal appearance, differing from the Shrew in the peculiar 
arrangement of his feet, and from the Mole in having a long hairy 
tail. His nearest relative is the Condylura (Star-nosed Mole), whose 
nose has a fringe of star-shaped processes round its outer edge, about 
twenty-two in number. 
The first and only place I ever met with this strange little fellow 
was on the Chilukweyuk Prairies. These large grassy openings or 
prairies are situated near the Fraser river, on the western side of 
the Cascade Mountains. In the sandy banks on the edge of the 
Chilukweyuk River and the various little streams winding through 
the prairie-grass, lives the Urotrichus ; his subterranean home is a 
large space or hole excavated like a small cave, and lined with bits 
of dry grass and leaves. From the central residence roads are tun- 
nelled away, radiating from it like the spokes of a wheel. His tun- 
nels are not like those of the Mole; he never throws up heaps or 
mounds of earth in order to get rid of the surplus material ; he digs 
as the Mole, but makes open cuttings at short intervals, about four 
or five inches long. 
And now we shall see the use of those curiously formed scraper- 
like hind feet. As he digs out the tunnel with his trowel-hands, he 
throws back the earth towards his hind feet. These, from their pe- 
culiar shape, enable him to back the dirt out of the hole, using 
them like two scrapers, only that he pusfes the dirt instead of 
pulling it towards him. Having backed the dirt clear of the mouth 
of the hole, he throws it over the edge of the open cutting. After 
having dug-in some distance, and finding, I dare say, the labour of 
backing out rather irksome, he digs up through the ground to the 
surface, makes another open cutting, and then begins a new hole 
or tunnel, and disappears into the earth again. When he has 
gone as far from his dormitory as he deems wise, he again digs up 
through and clears away the rubbish. This road is now complete ; 
so he goes back again to his central mansion, to begin others at his 
leisure. It is very difficult to watch the movements and discover the 
feeding-time and food of an animal that lives almost wholly under- 
ground in the daytime; but I am pretty sure these turnels are 
made for and used as roadways, or underground trails, for the pur- 
pose of hunting. He is a night feeder, and exposed to terrible 
perils from the various small Carnivora that prowl about like bandits 
in the dark—Stoats, Weasels, Martins, and Skunks. So to avoid 
and escape these enemies, he comes quietly along the subterranean 
roadways, and cautiously emerging at the open cutting, feels about 
with his wonderful nose, and, I doubt not, guided by an acute sense 
of smell, pounces upon larve, slugs, beetles, or any nocturnal creep- 
ing things he can catch, and so, traversing his different hunting-trails 
during the night, manages in this way to fare sumptuously, safe 
from danger. 
It is scarcely possible to imagine a more skilfully contrived hunt- 
ing-system, to avoid danger and to facilitate escape, than are these 
tunnel-trails with open cuttings ; for the sly little hunter has, on the 
slightest alarm, two modes of flight at his disposal, one before and 
