THE MOLE RATS 1321 



doubt whether these animals drive tunnels in search of roots, as they are known to 

 issue forth at night in order to feed on the young shoots of grass, and probably 

 bamboo, but it is generally believed that they also eat roots. When above ground, 

 they move slowly, and they are said to be so fearless or stupid as to allow themselves 

 to be caught without resistance, although when taken they bite savagely and severely. 

 From three to four young are produced at a birth. The hill tribes of Burma are in 

 the habit of eating the flesh of these animals. The Sumatran bamboo rat (R. suma- 

 trensis), ranging from Tenasserim to Siam, is a much larger species, measuring from 

 fifteen to nineteen inches in length, exclusive of the tail. Remains of an extinct 

 bamboo rat occur in the Pliocene rocks of the Siwalik hills at the foot of the Himalayas. 

 Africa, south of the Sahara, is the habitat of several types of mole 

 ap !_ rats differing from these above mentioned in the formation of the 



lower jaw, and also by the general presence of premolar teeth. At 

 the Cape there are two species, one of which (Bathyergus maritimus) is nearly a 

 foot in length, with the upper incisor teeth grooved, no external ears, and extremely 

 powerful claws; the silky hair being of a light grayish-brown color. This second 

 species (Georychus capensis) is about half the size of the former, with smooth upper 

 incisors and weaker claws. The late Professor Moseley states that the strand mole 

 (Bathyergus) , which is always found on the flats near the shore, constructs num- 

 bers of tunnels and hillocks, the former of which are large enough to easily admit 

 the hand and arm. On the other hand, the runs of the smaller species are gen- 

 erally constructed on higher ground, although sometimes with those of the so-called 

 strand mole. The hillocks constructed by the latter are generally about a foot in 

 height; those freshly made being of a dark color. Professor Moseley writes that 

 "one has not long to watch, standing a few yards off, before the .fresh heap is seen 

 to heave up, three or four times in succession, as the strand mole -forces freshly 

 scooped-out earth up into it from below. I tried at first shooting into the heap 

 as it was thus heaving, in the hope of getting the mole, but never with any success. 

 In order to shoot the worker, the earth should be quickly thrown back from the 

 fresh heap, and the hole laid open to the air. One then has only to retire about 

 ten paces and wait patiently. The strand mole does not like the fresh air, and in 

 the course of five minutes or so comes back to fill up the hole, but usually puts its 

 head out for a moment first to find what's up, though it certainly cannot see 

 far with its minute eyes, which are not bigger than the heads of carpet pins, the 

 whole eyeball when extracted being not bigger than a tenth of an inch in diameter. ' ' 

 When trapped, the animal bites the air fiercely with its enormous front teeth, at 

 the same time uttering a half-snarling, half-growling noise. 



Although there is but a single species of Bathyergus, there are several of 

 Georychus in different parts of Africa. In addition to these there is an allied form, 

 known as Myoscalops, characterized by having usually three pairs of premolar teeth 

 in each jaw, in addition to the three molars. 



The sandy deserts of Somaliland and Shoa are inhabited by two 

 Naked 



. _ , members of the present family, which are some of the most extraor- 

 Sand Rats 



dinary-looking little creatures in existence. In size the naked sand 



rats (Heterocephalus) may be compared to a common mouse, but in appearance they 



