THE DWARF PIKA. 161 



female forms a separate burrow, at the bottom of which 

 she makes a nest of dried grass, lining it with fur taken 

 from her own body. In this nest she deposits her young, 

 carefully covering them over every time she leaves them. 

 It is not until the tenth or twelfth day that the young 

 are able to see ; nor do they leave the burrow till four or 

 five weeks old.j 



The wild rabbit is undoubtedly the origin of our va- 

 rious domestic breeds. Tame rabbits indeed easily re- 

 sume their natural state of freedom, and return to their 

 instinctive habits. Albinoes are common in a state of 

 domestication, and it often happens that one or two ap- 

 pear in a litter when neither of the parents are so. 



The Syrian Hare. 



According to Desmarest, the common hare of Europe 

 exists in Greece, Asia Minor, and Syria. It is, how- 

 ever, very probable that the Egyptian hare {Lepus 

 yEgyptius) extends into the latter region. It ditfers 

 from the European species princi[)ally in the greater 

 proportionate length of its hind limbs and ears. 



The Dwarf Pika (^Lagomys puslllus). 



The Calling-Hare of Pennant ; Semlanoi Saetshik, or 

 Ground Hare, of the Russians about the Volga ; Tschat- 

 schat or Ittsitskan, Barking Mouse, of the Tartars; 

 Rusla of the Calmucs. 



In the genus Lagomys the muzzle is acute, the ears 

 short and somewhat rounded, and the soles of the feet 

 hairy; the tail is wanting. The dental formula ap- 



4 

 proaches that of the genus Lepus : — Incisors, ~ ; molars, 



5-5 . ^ 



. The genus Lagomys is widely distributed, thousrh 



5 — 5 



the species described are not numerous. About five are 

 known, and of these three are natives of the rocky de- 

 serts of Tartary and Siberia ; the fourth is a native of 

 the Himalaya Mountains ; a fifth of the Hocky Moun- 



