INSF.CT-EATEk.S. 



59 



ing head and soft silky fur. They hvc under rubbish 

 or dig homes in the ground, are very quarrelsome, and 



Fig. 78. — Thompson's Shrew. 



Fig. 7g. — Water Shrciv 



if two are confined together the weaker is soon killed. 

 North America has more than a dozen kinds. 



Moles. 



Moles have a stout, thick body; short, strong legs; 

 a short tail ; and very large fore feet fitted for digging. 

 They feed on earthworms and insects. Their long 

 burrows are their hunting grounds, which they range in 

 search of food. Their 

 eyes are very small, and 

 their fur is soft, thick, and 

 velvet-like. The Shrew 

 Mole of North America is 

 of the size of a very large 

 Mouse, and its eyes are so small that many suppose it 

 to be blind. The hole for the eye is only about the 

 size of a hair, and the eyeballs are smaller than a mus- 

 tard seed. The Star-nosed Mole is about tlie size of 



Fi.r. So. 



- Shrew Mole. 



Fig. 81. — Nose of Star-nosed 

 Mole 



Fig. 82. 



-Skull of .St.ir-nosed 

 Mole. 



the Shrew Mole, and is so named from the form of 

 the end of the nose, which is star-shaped. 



