American skunks and conepats.

The next case (40) is devoted to the otter family. These ingenious
animals are found in the four quarters of the world. Here are the
common European otter; the otters of Java and India; the clawless
African otter, from the Cape of Good Hope; and the sea and muffled
otters, from America. Next to these interesting animals, are some of
the bears, including the savage Arctic white bear, the Malay bear, and
the Indian sloth bear. Next to these bears, the racoons are grouped,
and they close the collection illustrative of the bear tribe. In the
case following those which contain the racoons is one (43) in which
the varieties of

THE MOLE TRIBE

are arranged. These include Moles from the four quarters of the world.
There are the North American marsh moles and long-tailed star-nosed
moles; the golden moles, from the Cape of Good Hope; the varieties of
the shrew-mouse, including the remarkable blue shrew-mouse of India,
the African elephant shrew, and the Russian musk shrew; the Javan
insectivorous squirrel; and a curious variety of hedgehogs, from
opposite quarters of the globe. Having examined these inferior
mammalia, the visitor will pass in direct order of succession to the
cases in which

THE MARSUPIAL ANIMALS

are deposited. These fill nine wall-cases, and they should be
carefully examined, as exhibiting a peculiar economy of animal life.
The marsupial animals are placed by some zoologists in the lowest