CHAPTER XII 
MOLES, SHREWS AND BATS 
Unver this caption might be written a long 
list of American insectivores,—animals which 
are to be thought of not merely as feeding upon 
insects, but as belonging to the Order In- 
sectivora. This order is a group of small, 
slender, plantigrade animals, having fine sharp 
teeth and digestive organs especially suited to 
a diet of worms and insects. They are found 
all over the world, except in South America and 
Australasia; and are of particular interest to 
the zodlogist because much evidence allies them 
with the earliest known type of mammal, so 
that the insectivores seem to represent, with 
little alteration, the most ancient mammalian 
stock. They are most nearly related to the 
lemurs and the bats. 
The moles under the lawn. Our _ insecti- 
vores are all small and inconspicuous, and pop- 
ular interest is attached only to the moles 
194. 
