ORDER CARNASSIER. 191 



family. The two upper incisors are large, plane, and 

 towards their extremities are shaped leaf-wise. The lower 

 ones are conical, erect, tolerably long, and separated one 

 from the other, and in the interval a little forwards, are 

 two very small ones. In the upper jaw there is an inter- 

 dentary space after the incisives. But in the lower jaw 

 the teeth which replace the canines follow immediately. 

 They are conical, and proceed gradually increasing in size 

 towards the bottom of the jaw, where they change into 

 molars, with a coronal provided with sharp tubercles. The 

 muzzle is considerably elongated in the form of a horn, 

 and cartilaginous at its extremity. The eyes are extremely 

 small, and the external ears are altogether wanting. The 

 fore-paws are very short and broad. The toes, to the num- 

 ber of five, are united as far as the last phalanx. The 

 nails are very long, flattened, linear, and proper for dig- 

 ging. From the thumb (or that toe which may represent 

 it), they proceed increasing as far as the third toe inclu- 

 sive, while the two others diminish, and the external one 

 is the least of all. The hinder feet are very small, very 

 slender, and are armed with small and sharp nails. The 

 tail is short. The whole body, the general form of which 

 is more elongated than that of the Moles, is covered with 

 very soft fur. 



The Scalope lives in the same style as the ..Moles, and 

 digs like them subterraneous galleries. It is peculiar to 

 North America, and is most usually found along the banks 

 of rivers. This animal was classed for some time with the 

 Radiated Mole of America, of which Illiger has formed his 

 genus Condylura. But its characters must separate it from 

 that animal. 



The only species known is the Scalope of Canada (Sea- 

 lops Canadensis). This is the Sorex aquaticus of Linnaeus, 

 and the Talya fusca of Shaw. It is of the same size as the 

 European Mole, nearly about seven inches in its total length. 



