312 BACKBONED ANIMALS. 
sides of the lips are raised, the tongue presses the water 
out through the strainer, the jellies passing down the ex- 
tremely small throat, that is adapted for only this kind of 
food. 
The Greénland whale (Balena mysticetus), Balena cis- 
arctica, and australis, are familiar forms. 
VaLUE.—A single whale, captured by a New London vessel in 
1884, realized for whalebone, $12,230; oil, $3,490; total, $15,720. 
Spermaceti, ivory, and ambergris, are other productions. 
. Order IV. Insect-eating Mammals (lxsectivora). 
General Characteristics.—The animals of this order prey 
upon insects almost entirely. 
The teeth are well developed, 
the molars being prism-shaped, 
with acute cusps or points (Fig. 
337). The feet are provided 
with claws, often enormously de- 
Fic, 337.—Skull of an insect- veloped. 
: rae a Hei Shrews (Soricida).—In ap- 
pearance the shrews (Fig. 339) 
resemble the rats, They have a wide distribution, but 
are not found in Australia or South America. The broad- 
nosed shrew (Sorex) is a common American form. The 
nose is long, canine teeth absent, the ears large, tail con- 
spicuous and scantily supplied with hair. This shrew is 
one of the smallest quadrupeds on the continent, weigh- 
ing only forty-seven grains. They secrete a protective 
odor, contained in two glands at the base of the tail. They 
burrow in the ground, and are mainly nocturnal in their 
habits. Moles (7Za/gidz).—The moles are confined to 
the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. In 
America, the star-nosed mole (Condylura) (Fig. 338) ranges 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its length is about four 
inches to the tail, which is of nearly the same length. The 
nose terminates in numerous star-like fringes, that aid it in 
