QUADRUPEDS. 
105 
its habits of underground life. Its snout, resembling 
that of a hog, is fitted for rooting in the ground in 
search of insects, which are its chief food. Its legs 
are so short that the feet, which resemble hands, 
seem to grow from the body The fore feet have 
great strength, to enable the animal to dig its sub- 
terranean passage, and the hind feet are calculated 
to throw back the dirt. 
287. Its eyes are so small as to be hardly dis- 
cernible ; and, though it has no external ears, it is 
said to possess the faculty of hearing in an eminent 
degree. The body is thick and round, and has a 
very short tail. It is covered with an exceedingly 
fine and beautiful fur. 
288. When it has once buried itself in the earth, 
it seldom stirs out, unless, in pursuit of prey, it hap- 
pens to come too near the surface, and gets in the 
open air. In general, it chooses the softer grounds, 
beneath which it can travel with facility, and in 
which it finds the most ample supply of worms and 
insects. 
THE CROCODILE. 
289. The Crocodile abounds in Africa, and m 
Describe the formation of the Mole, its snout, its legs, its eyes, 
its fur. How does it live 1 
Where does the Crocodile abound ? 
