28 



MOLES AND THEIR LIKE. 



extra Lone iutenially to the tliunil). In burrowing, most 

 of them throw up the well-known moleliills at certain 

 intervals from the tunnels driven in search of worms — 

 their chief food. 



In addition to these true moles, North America also 

 possesses certain other sjjecies known as shrew-moles, 

 which, while belonging to the same family (Taljiiche), are 

 distinguished by the absence of the sickle-like bone in the 

 hand and the less expanded form of the bones of the upper 

 part of the fore-limb. They are thus clearly seen to be 

 less specialized creatnres than our own mole, to which 

 they closely approximate in general appearance. 



Although belonging to the insectivorous order, the mole- 

 like creatui'e represented in the accompanying figure 

 indicates a totally different family group. If we were to 

 examine the upper molar teeth of a common mole, we 

 should find that they had broad crowns, carrying cusps 

 arranged somewhat after the manner of the letter W. On 

 the other hand, in the Cape golden mole (as the animal 



rra 12.— Ilii C.ip. UjUku MJe. 



here represented is termed) the corresjionding teeth have 

 triangvilar crowns carrying three cusps arranged in a V. 



