Their principal food consists of earthworms, and it may not be out of place to quote Topsell's quaint account of their pursuit of the annelids: "When the wormes are followed by molds (for by digging and heaving they foreknow their owne perdition) they fly to the superficies and very toppe of the earth, the silly beast knowing that the molde, their adversary, dare not followe them into the light, so that their wit in flying their enemy is greater than in turning againe when they are troade upon." It has lately been said[1] that Moles store up earthworms for consumption during the winter, biting off their heads to prevent their crawling away.
Scalops, an American genus, is a Mole-like creature of largely aquatic habits, as its webbed hind-feet show; it has a short, naked tail. Apparently, like the Shrews, it has no lower canines.
Condylura, another American genus, is called the Star-nosed Mole on account of a curious radiating structure at the end of the snout.
Myogale, the Desman, is still more aquatic in habit, and connects the Moles with the Shrews, though, as in many of the former, it has lower canines. It has webbed hind-feet and a long tail. One species occurs in the Pyrenees, the other in Russia. A few other genera (Urotrichus, Uropsilus, Scaptonyx, Dymecodon, Scapasius, Perascalops) belong to the same family.
Fam. 9. Soricidae.—The true Shrews have a much wider range than other families of the present order. In the Palaearctic region are found Sorex, Crossopus, Crocidura, Nectogale, Chimarrogale. The first is also Nearctic, and reaches Central America. In the Ethiopian region is the single peculiar genus Myosorex, but Crocidura occurs there also. Blarina and Notiosorex are "Sonoran" in range; Soriculus Oriental. Crocidura, Anurosorex, and Chimarrogale also enter this region. Sorex has teeth tipped with reddish colour, its dental formula being, according to Mr. Woodward's recent researches, I 3/(2 or 3) C 1/0 Pm 3/1 M 3/3 = 32 or 34.
As compared with other Insectivores, therefore, the most remarkable fact found throughout the family is the absence of the lower canines. In addition to this the genus may be known—the family indeed—by the large size of the first pair of incisors. In the above formula it is possible, thinks Mr. Woodward, that there may be errors; he is not certain whether the supposed
- ↑ Ritsema Bos, Biol. Centralbl. xviii. 1898, p. 63.
