MAMMALIA 8 



J 



in the body of a sleeping animal, the toes being the region 

 favoured in the case of human beings. It is, however, only fair 

 to add, that insects, or even fruit, are the favourite articles of diet. 

 A very complicated nose-leaf is found in the Old World 

 forms belonging to the genus Rhinolophus, which are known 

 as Horse-shoe Bats. Though these range from England to 

 Tasmania, their head-quarters are in the southern parts of Asia. 

 Only two forms, both of which occur in Britain, are found in 

 Europe north of the Alps. These are the Lesser Horse-shoe 

 Bat {Rhinolophus hipposideros^ and the Greater Horse-shoe Bat 

 i^R. ferrumequinum). 



Order 4. — Insect-Eaters (Insectivora) 



Insectivores (fig. 52) are small nocturnal mammals of low 

 organization, adapted for preying upon insects, worms, snails, 

 and other small creatures, for the seizing and holding of which 

 their sharp-pointed teeth are peculiarly well adapted. There 

 is generally a long pointed snout, suited for poking into the 

 small corners and crevices inhabited by their prey. As might 

 be expected in a primitive group like this, there are the typical 

 number of digits, i.e. five on each hand and foot, and all are 

 provided with claws. Several pairs of mammary glands are 

 found in the abdominal region. Six groups of the Insectivora 

 may be distinguished: — Banxrings, Jumping- Shrews, Desmans, 

 Shrews, Hedgehogs, and Moles. 



Banxrings or Tree-Shrews are arboreal forms which some- 

 what resemble squirrels in appearance, chiefly owing to the 

 presence of a large bushy tail ; but the long pointed snout is 

 characteristically insectivore. A typical form is the Bornean 

 Tree-Shrew {Tupaia tana). 



The African group of Jumping-Shrews includes small long- 

 snouted creatures common in desert regions, and distinguished 

 by the relative length of their hind-limbs, upon which they 

 spring actively about. The Elephant- Shrew [Macroscelides 

 typicus) of South Africa is a good example. 



Desmans are swimming forms found in Thibet, West Africa, 

 South Russia, and North Spain. One of the best-known species 

 is the Musk-Shrew (Myogale moschata) of the Volga and other 

 Russian rivers. 



