: 
: 
¥ 
ie 

fig. f.) is the smallest of all known mammals, measuring 
only about two inches and a half in length, including 
the tail, which is one-third of the length of the body. 
But it is not inferior to the other Shrew-mice in 
courage and voracity. It is found in all the coun- 
tries which are washed by the Adriatic Sea. 
The Water-Shrew (Crossopus fodiens, Plate X. 
fig. e) is remarkable for its great activity and its 
elegant movements both in the water and on land. 
It is three inches in length without the tail, which is nearly 
as long as the body. Its soft fur is black above and 
white beneath. The undersurface of its toes is fur- 
nished with long stiff hairs, which spread out in the 
water, and greatly assist it in swimming. 
The Zalpid@, or Moles have a head produced 
into a long snout, and not separated from the body 
by a narrower neck. The tail is either very short, 
Order V. Carnivora. 
No order of animals exhibits so perfect an 
adaptation of structure to habits as the Carnivora. 
They all possess symmetrical bodies, a powerful set 
of pointed and cutting teeth, and four or five toes 
on each foot, furnished with strong claws. In most 
cases, all the organs of sense are equally well deve- 
loped, but sometimes one sense surpasses the others 
in acuteness. The Carnivora are strong and intelli- 
gent, and feed chiefly on other animals, which they 
overcome by their combined strength, craft and cunning. 
They also feed occasionally on vegetable matters. 
Family Felidae. (Cats.) 
(Plates VII. VIII.) 
This family is the most typical and highly de- 
veloped of the whole Order; and all the animals 
which are included in it exhibit a structure similar 
to that of the common cat. The head is large, and~ 
the eyes oblique, with a long pupil, which widens 
with the increase of darkness. The projecting upper 
lip is provided with a fringe of strong bristles, called 
vibrisse (or, more popularly, whiskers) connected 
with fine nerves which render them delicate organs 
of touch. The teeth are strong and sharp, especially 
the canines. The body is long, and the skin, which 
lies very loosely over the body, is clothed with soft 
hair; some species are provided with a mane. The 
legs are very powerful, and the feet are armed 
with retractile claws. The tail is long, and some- 
times tufted. Their tread is light and inaudible. They 
feed chiefly on birds and mammals. Their senses are 
all well developed, especially sight and hearing. They 
are distributed over the Old and New Worlds; but 
all Cats like warmth. 
The Lion and Lioness (Fels leo) are represented 
on Plate VII. figs. a. and b. The Lion, though not 
quite so large as the largest Tigers, is a majestic 
animal, and his mane makes him appear larger 
than he really is. However, the mane ditiers 
considerably in length in different individuals. The 
largest lions measure nine or ten feet in length from 
the snout to the end of the tail, and stand nearly 
four feet high. The body is compact, the chest full 
and broad, and the legs very strong. The colour 
is tawny, and the long flowing mane which extends 
over the neck, shoulders and chest, is blackish. The 
end of the tail is also ornamented with a blackish 
tuft. The lioness is rather smaller, and is maneless ; 
and very young lions exhibit traces of spots. 
its) 



or wholly absent. The legs are short, and the fore 
legs are specially adapted for digging. Their eyes 
and external ears are extremely small, but their hear- 
ing is good, and their senses of touch and smell still 
better. They dig galleries in the earth in search of 
worms and insects, and cast up small hillocks in the 
process. 
The common Mole (Zalpa europea, Plate X. 
fig. g.) is an extremely quarrelsome and_ voracious 
creature, which cannot even tolerate the presence of 
the female except during the pairing season. It has 
always been a disputed point as to whether the mole 
was an injurious or a beneficial animal, and in some 
countries it is protected, and in others persecuted. 
The Mole is common in most parts of Europe, but 
it is somewhat strange that it should be absent from 
Ireland. 
(Flesh-Eaters.) 
The Lion reigns supreme throughout the con- 
tinent of Africa, where his imposing presence and 
terrible roar strike terror into all animals. In Asia, 
he is confined to the south-west, and extends as far 
as India, where he is rare. He inhabited Greece 
during historic times; and there is little doubt that 
he must have been common in the greater part 
of Central and Southern Europe at a somewhat earlie: 
period. 
The Tiger (felis tigris, Plate VII. fig. c.) is 
more slenderly formed than the lion, but fully equals 
him in size. In fact, very large specimens have been 
stated to measure twelve feet in length. He is much 
more savage and dangerous than the lion, and equally 
strong. Many more human beings fall victims to 
tigers than to lions, especially to those which happen 
to have acquired a taste for human flesh, and seek 
it habitually as their favourite food. Such tigers are 
called “man-eaters’”, and are the pests of the 
neighbourhood which they infest, until they are hunted 
down and killed. The tiger inhabits the greater part 
of Southern Asia, and the islands of Java and Su- 
matra. His range extends to the north in Eastern 
Asia as far as the river Amoor, on the _ fron- 
tiers of China and Russia. The winter in this region 
is very severe, and the tigers which are there met 
with are more thickly furred than those of Southern 
Asia. 
The skin of the tiger is soft and loose, and 
the colour is reddish, with black stripes; the under 
parts are white. The head is round, and the cheeks 
are ornamented with a greyish-white beard, which is 
more developed in the male than in the female. The 
tail is not tufted. Notwithstanding the conspicuous 
character of the colours of the tiger, they are said 
to harmonise so well with the prevailing hues and 
lights and shadows of the jungles which he inhabits, 
that he is sufficiently well concealed from his prey. 
One of the most beautiful cats of the Old 
World is the Leopard, or panther (Fels pardus, 
Plate VIII. fig. a). He is common throughout Africa, 
Southern Asia, Ceylon, Java &c. The ground-colour 
is a fine reddish or yellowish, shading into white 
beneath, marked all over with black rings. His shape 
is elegant, and his movements are extremely light 
and graceful. He is one of the most crafty ani- 
mals of the catkind. Black leopards are occasionally 
met with, in which the spots are almost lost in the 
dark ground colour; they are most common in Java, 
