$280 — Lieut. Col. Harpwickk’s Description 
dle ones; and the interior toe.still shorter. "The nails or claws 
slender, awl-shaped, white; the feet thinly- covered with soft 
hair... Length of the animal from nose to tail six inches and an 
half; length of the tail seven. inches, its form cylindrical, but . . 
tapering, thinly covered with short hair to within the last two 
inches, and ending with a compressed tuft of long dark brown 
soft hair. The prevailing colour is a bright bay, mixed on 
the upper parts of the body- with pencil-like strokes of dark- 
brown, longitudinally disposed ; the head is. of a lighter colour, 
- particularly about the eye and lower parts of the cheeks; all the 
under parts are white, and the hair at the roots of a soft, "— 
nature, and ash-coloured. - yeu ; 
In weight this animal seldom exceeds five ounces. “The figure 
accompanying this paper is the natural size of a male sce 
which weighed 4 ounces 12 drachms, avoirdupoise. ——— | 
- These animals are very numerous about cultivated lands, "nd | 
particularly: destructive to wheat aud. barley crops, of which. 
they lay up considerable hoards, in spacious. burrows, near the 
scenes of their plunder. "They cut the culms of the ripening corn 
just beneath the ears, and convey them thus entire to. one .com- 
mon subterraneous repository, which, when filled, they. carefully 
close, and do not open for use till supplies abroad become distant. 
and scarce. Grain of all kinds is their favourite food; but, in de- - 
fault of this, they have recourse to the roots of grass and other 
vegetables. About the close of day, they issue from their bur-. ` 
. rows, and traverse the plains in all directions, to a considerable. 
distance ; they run fast, but oftener leap, making bounds of four. 
or five yards at a time, carrying the tail extended in a horizontal. 
direction. When eating, they sit on their hind. legs like a squir- 
rel, holding the food between their fore feet. They never appear. 
by day, neither do hey commit t- depoeduboni within doors. ode 
RES : sides : have 
