86 CHARACTERS OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 



The Common Mole ( Talpa Europcea) is our British repre- 

 sentative of a large group mainly distributed through the 

 temperate parts of the northern hemisphere, and structurally 

 modified so as to fit them for a burrowing habit. Related to 

 them are the Golden Moles of the Cape, in which, however, 

 the digits of the hand are reduced to three, and the fur has a 

 beautiful iridescent sheen. 



A remarkable animal, native to the East Indies, known as 

 the Colugo, or Flying- Lemur {Galeopithecus), is probably best 

 regarded as constituting a specialized group of the Insectivora. 

 On each side of the body (fig.' 53) there is a fold of skin which 

 connects together the limbs and tail, and acts as a parachute, 

 facilitating progress from one branch to another. 



Order "5. — Flesh-Eaters (Carnivora) 



This large, dominant, and widely distributed order of mammals 

 includes a great diversity of widely differing forms, nearly all of 

 which, however, are adapted for preying on weaker animals. In 

 accordance with this the digits generally possess sharp claws, and 

 the strong lower jaw, moved by very powerful muscles, is united 

 to the skull by a well-marked hinge -joint (see p. 28), while 

 large canines and cheek - teeth with cutting crowns are also 

 characteristic. Carnivores possess considerable intelligence, par- 

 ticularly so in the domestic forms, such as cat and dog, and 

 some, at least, of their senses are very acute. 



The group is divided into two sub-orders — I, the true 

 Carnivora, or Fissipedia; and II, the aquatic forms, or Pinni- 

 pedia. The former include most of the species, and Cat, Dog, 

 and Bear may be taken as the leading types, of which the first is 

 most specialized for flesh-eating, while the last is least so. 



I. Fissipedia. — It is customary to divide the forms of this 

 sub-order into Cats, Dogs, and Bears, using these words in a 

 very wide sense. 



CATS 



These Carnivores have their feet lifted off the ground (fig. 54) 

 so as to walk upon the digits (digitigrade), and their teeth are 

 fewer in number and more specialized than is the case in the other 

 two groups. There are four families: — i. Cats Proper (Felidae); 



