OEDEE OF mSECTIYOEA. 



In this order are collected a certain number of Mammalia, 

 which, with the general form of Rodents, have the character of 

 feeding almost exclusively on insects. In this respect they 

 resemble, as we will see hereafter, the Cheiroptera. Their dental 

 system is constituted for this special mode of alimentation ; they 

 have molars studded with conical points, and the other teeth 

 (canines and incisors) usually very sharp. 



With regard to their principal external characteristics, it may 

 be mentioned that they are of small size, with four limbs fur- 

 nished with nails, and which are adapted for walking, swim- 

 ming, and digging. Thej' have the mammfe underneath the 

 belly, and in progression place the entire sole of the foot on 

 the ground. Their intelligence is feebly developed, and scarcely 

 permits their being domesticated. 



The habits of the Insectivora are extremely varied, a circum- 

 stance that should not surprise us when we consider the diversity 

 in the conformation of their organs of locomotion. Some, for 

 instance, like the Hedgehog, seek their food on the ground ; 

 while others, like the Tupaia, hunt for it on trees. The Moles, 

 on the contrary, find their subsistence deep in the soil, and lead 

 an entirely subterranean existence ; finally, the Desmans and 

 some species of Shrew Mice are essentially aquatic. Several of 

 these animals become torpid when the temperature is low, though 

 it appears that torpor has also been observed in warm latitudes 

 without such a cause. 



The Insectivora are encountered in all parts of the world except 

 Australia, where they are represented by the Opossums, and other 

 Marsupials. America is less abundantly provided with them than 

 the Old World. 



