low’s ptilocerque. 
ORDER INSECTIVORA. 
CHAPTER I. 
COLITGOS — BANGSRINGS — JUMPING SHREWS — HEDGEHOGS — TANRECS — RIVER SHREWS. 
Functions of tlie Insect-eaters in the Order of Nature— Their leading Peculiarities— Classifi- 
cation— Colugos — Various Opinions regarding their Place— Colugo, or Flying Lemur 
—The Pcitaghim — Parachute -like Membrane— Dentition— Offspring — Diet— Bancs- 
rings— Tana— Ferruginous Bangsring— Horsfield’s Bangsring— Low’s Ptilo 
cerque— Short-tailed Bangsring— Jumping Shrews— Elephant Shrew— Algerian 
Jumping Shrew— Petrodrome— Rhynchocyon— Hedgehog— Characteristics— Distri- 
bution — Diet — Attacks Snakes and Vipers — Taste for Eggs and Game— Its “ Spiny 
Skin ” — “ Rolled up ” — Enemies— Female and Young— Long-eared Hedgehog— Col- 
lared Hedgehog— Bulau— Tanrecs— Tanrec—Tendrac— Telfair’s Tendrac— 
Rice Tendrac— Eared Earth Shrew— Agouta— Almiqui— West African River 
Shrew. 
Tn the grand economy of nature small tilings play sometimes very considerable 
parts ; and the innumerable hosts of insects, making up by their numbers for 
their individual insignificance, are of very great importance in a great variety 
of fashions. One of their most striking functions is undoubtedly the checking 
of vegetable growth. They attack plants in all parts — in the roots, the stem, 
the branches, the leaves, and the flowers and fruit — in this wa y, while merely 
obeying their own appetites, imposing a constant check upon the increase of 
vegetation ; and being for the most part specially confined to particular plants 
or groups of plants, they assist materially in preserving the balance of power in 
the vegetable world. At the same time, it must be borne in mind that there 
is the same tendency in insects, as in any other group of organisms, to inordinate increase. The 
checkers thus need a check in their turn, and the number of other creatures whose business it seems to 
be to keep down the undue multiplication of insects is exceedingly great. 
We have seen that among the Mammalia the Bats for the most part have this duty imposed upon 
them. They attack the winged armies of perfect insects in the air, and must cut off an enormous 
number of potential parents of plant-eating larvse. But there are a great many insects which 
