486 



THE GERBOA. 



lAGOTLS.Lagotit cuvieri. 



THE (JERBOAS bear a curious resemblance to the kangaroos, not only in their general 

 appearance, but in many of their habits. Like those animals, they leap over distances which 

 are absolutely enormous when the size of their bodies is taken into consideration, they con- 

 stantly sit upright in order to observe surrounding objects, their food is of the same nature, 

 and they carry it to their mouths in a similar manner. Their fore-limbs are extremely short, 

 while the hinder legs and feet are developed to a very great extent, and they are all furnished 

 with a long, hair-clad tail, which serves to aid them in preserving their balance while shooting 

 through the air. 



One of the most familiar of these leaping rodents is the SPRING HAAS, or CAPE GEKBOA, 

 sometimes called, from its hare-like aspect, the CAPE LEAPING HARE. 



It is a native of Southern Africa, and is found in considerable numbers upon the sides of 

 mountains, where it inhabits certain burrows which it tunnels for itself in the ground. It 

 prefers sandy ground for the locality of its habitation, and associates together in great pro- 

 fusion- in favorable spots, so that the earth is completely honeycombed with its burrows. 

 Being a nocturnal animal, it is rarely seen by daylight, seldom leaving its stronghold as long 

 as the sun is above the horizon. The natives, who set some value on its flesh, take advantage 

 of this habit, and being sure of finding the Spring Haas at home during the daytime, take their 

 measures accordingly. Placing a sentinel at the mouth of the burrow, they force the inmate 

 to evacuate the premises by pouring a deluge of water into the hole, and as it rushes into the 

 open air, it is seized or struck down by the ready hand of the sentinel. 



Like the kangaroos, the Spring Haas prefers rough and rocky ground to a smooth soil, 

 and displays such wonderful agility as it leaps from spot to spot, that it can baffle almost 

 any foe by its mere power of jumping. At a single leap this creature will compass a space 

 of twenty or thirty feet, and is able to continue these extraordinary bounds for a great dis- 

 tance. It is rather a mischievous animal, as, like the common hare, it is in the habit of 

 making nocturnal raids upon the corn-fields and gardens, and escaping safely to its subter- 

 ranean burrow before the sunrise. 



With the exception of shorter ears, and the elongated hinder limbs, the Spring Haas is 

 not unlike our common hare. The fur is of a dark fawn, or reddish-brown, perceptibly 

 tinged with yellow on the upper parts, and fading into grayish-white beneath. In texture 

 it is very similar to that of the hare. The tail is about as long as the body, and is heavily 

 covered with rather stiff hairs, which at the extremity are of a deep black hue. Upon the 



