178 THE HISTOBY OF ANIMALS. [fi. VI. 



different from those derived from a mixture of the horse and 

 ass, though they resemble them in appearance. As the wild 

 ass is named from its resemblance to the domestic kind, the 

 wild asses and the hemioni differ from the domestic race in 

 speed. These hemioni are derived from their own congeners, 

 of which this is a proof. For some came to Phrygia in the 

 time of Pharnaces, the father of Pharnabazus, and remain 

 there still. There are now only three, though they say that 

 at first there were nine. 



CHAPTEB XXX. 



1. THE reproduction of mice is more wonderful than that 

 of any other animal, both in number and rapidity. For a 

 pregnant female was left in a vessel of corn ; and after a 

 short time the vessel was opened, and a hundred and twenty 

 mice were counted. There is a doubt respecting the re- 

 production and destruction of the mice which live on the 

 ground ; for such an inexpressible number of field mice have 

 sometimes made their appearance that very little food re- 

 mained. Their power of destruction also is so great that 

 some small farmers, having on one day observed that their 

 corn was ready for harvest, when they went the following 

 day to cut their corn, found it all eaten. 



2. The manner of their disappearance also is unac- 

 countable ; for in a few days they all vanish, although be- 

 forehand they could not be exterminated by smoking and 

 digging them out, nor by hunting them and turning swine 

 among them to root up their runs. Foxes also hunt them 

 out, and wild weasels 1 are very ready to destroy them ; but 

 they cannot prevail over their numbers and the rapidity of 

 their increase, nor indeed can anything prevail over them 

 but rain, and when this comes they disappear very soon. 



3. In a certain part of Persia the female foetus of the mice 

 are found to be pregnant in the uterus of their parent. 

 Some people say and affirm that if they lick salt they become 

 pregnant without copulation. The Egyptian mice have hair 

 nearly resembling that of the hedgehog. There are other 

 kinds which go upon two feet, for their fore feet are small 

 and their hind feet large. 2 They are very numerous. There 

 are also many other kinds of mice. 



J Perhaps ferret, Mustek varo, or weasel. 

 2 Serboa, Dipus gerbillus, or D. jacuius. 



