214 MR. A. A. LANE 



of the latter for a long time, so presumably the ubiquit- 

 ous " mus decumanus " is pushing it out as has 

 occurred in so many countries (x). Besides the 

 the ordinary house mouse, the large mouse or small rat 

 is common. It is usually about seyen and three 

 quarter inches long, of which the tail is about three 

 inches, having four claAys on the forefoot, and fiye on the 

 hindfoot. The pretty striped field mouse is often found 

 on the cultivated lands, but the tiny shrew mouse, though 

 probably numerous, is seldom seen on the surface of the 

 soil except when occasionally flooded out on irrigated 

 land where water is being led. This tiny species, which 

 I believe is ''Pachyrus (jmcilis'^, is only about three and 

 a half inches long, of which the tail is nearly one and a 

 half inches; and the two front incisors usually protrude 

 perceptibly. I found one drowned, in a bedroom basin, 

 which, to have got there, must have been disporting itself 

 under the roof above. I never saw a shrew in a house 

 before, but I believe the European species occasionally 

 seeks shelter in garden sheds, and out-buildings during 

 spells of frost (xx). 



Troops of baboons still flourish in the hills along the 

 Vaal, but this locality is probably their last resort in 

 the district. Speaking of baboons reminds me that a 

 monkey, similar to those occurring in the Kustenburg 

 bush veld, appeared in the wooded portion of a farm at 

 Mooibank, a few years ago, but upon being pursued by 

 the whole family, made good its escape and was com- 

 pletely lost sight of. Whether it could have been a 

 wanderer from the northern ^' low country," or had es- 



(x) It is doubtful whether this is really the ^' Brown 

 Rat" which occurs at Potchefstroom, the brown 

 form of black rat {Rattus rattus alexandrinus) 

 being usually mistaken for it. — Edd. 



(xx) Shrews are not uncommon in houses at Grahams- 

 town. (J. H.). 



