OF DIPUS, OR JERBOA. 117 



hrador-Rat. It is true, tliis excellent zoologlft fays that 

 Linnaeus has defcribed this animal under the name of 

 jVlus Longipes. If this were certain, then the animal 

 which I have defcribed would appear to be ftill more 

 nearly related to the Labrador-Rat, for the Mus longipes 

 is laid to have the pedes pentadatlxli, or feet furnilhed 

 with five toes. • But, I do not think it at all certain that 

 the Labrador-Rat of Pennant is the Mus longipes of Lin- 

 nseus. Indeed, Mr. Pennant himfelf, notwithftanding 

 his aflertion juft mentioned, has defcribed the two ani- 

 mals as diftin£t fpecies, in the laft edition of his valuable 

 Hi/lory of ^ladrupeds. Speaking of the Mus longipes, 

 which he calls Torrid Jerboa, he fays it inhabits, accor- 

 ding to Linnaeus, the torrid zone, and is mentioned by 

 no other writer. * How, then, can it be the Labrador- 

 Rat, fince Mr Pennant has both feen and defcribed this 

 latter animal ? 



Mr. Pennant fays that Dr. Pallas has defcribed the 

 Labrador-Rat under the name of Mus longipes. I am 

 forry that I have not an opportunity of examining the 

 learned Profeflbr's figure and defcription. Pennant, 

 however, allov^^s that " the Afiatic animal (Mus longipes 

 of Pallas) differed in colour from the AmcriciW^ being- 

 above of a li;2;ht grey inixed with tawny, white below: 

 thefe colours divided lengthways by a ftripe of dufky red. 

 The tail covered with longer and loofer hair at the end 

 than in the other parts : the foles of the feet clad with 

 hair. This I could not well obferve, continues Mr. 

 Pennant, in the fpecimen from Hiidfon s Bay, as it was 

 preferved in fpirits." -f- 



Mr. Zimmermann confidersthe Mus longipes of Pallas 

 as a fpecies diftinft from his Dipus Hudfonius. He 

 makes the former the Dipus longipes of Schreber, which 



* Hiftory of Quadruped;, vol. 2. p. 171. 

 f Ibidem, vol. 2. p. 173 & 174. 



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