TUK MOUSE 445 



Excepting the pigs, most of these feed exclusively on plants. 

 The giraffes and antelopes are characteristic of Africa ; Ijut 

 the " mountain goat " of our highest ranges may be placed 

 with the antelopes, as may also the chamois of Europe. The 

 prong-horn of our southwestern plains is remarkable in having 

 hollow horns like the antelopes, which arc, however, shed like 

 those of the deer. 



The odd-toed hoofed mammals include the horses, tapirs, 

 and rhinoceroses. The horses are remarkable in that they 

 stand upon the toenail of the middle digit — all the other 

 digits being rudimentary or absent. While fossil remains of 

 horses are found in all continents, the living species have come 

 from Asia and Africa. The African species are striped (zebras). 

 The tapirs are found living to-daj' only in South America 

 and southeastern Asia. They frecjuent the depths of forests 

 near watercourses, and feed on leaves and shoots of shrulibery. 

 The rhinoceroses of Africa, of India, of Java, and of the Malay 

 Archipelago, are quite distinct. All are large, stupid, and fero- 

 cious when attacked, feed on herbage, and wallow in pools. 



The elephants are distinguished by their long trunks, great 

 incisors (tusks), and huge, complex grinding teeth. The 

 Indian and African types are quite distinct. Elephants are 

 intelligent, tractatile, and capable of doing much work for 

 man. Their diet is vegetable, consisting especially of the 

 leaves and young Ijranches of forest trees, which they gather 

 with their proboscis. 



The moles and shrews are small mammals and chiefl}' ter- 

 restrial. One of our common families includes the moles which 

 burrow in the ground, have small eyes and broad, shovel- 

 shaped fore feet, used for digging their tunnels. Thejr feed 

 chiefly on earthworms. The other common family is that of 



