32 MOLES AND THEIR LIKE. 



It frequents loose and sandy soil, although occasionally 

 found in moist heavy mould, through which it pierces its 

 way as readily as the mole. Darwin, who states that the 

 tuco-tuco is even more subterranean in its habits than the 

 mole, was told by the Argentines that blind examples were 

 often captured. This, however, is not the experience of 

 Mr. Hudson, who lays stress on the relatively large size 

 of the creature's eyes. From the soft nature of the soil in 

 which it tunnels, it is not difficult to understand why it has 

 been unnecessary for the tuco-tuco to assume a mole-like 

 bodily form; but the reason for the retention of fully, 

 developed eyes which we should have thought exceedingly 

 prone to injury is hard indeed to divine. 



The other rodents with mole-like habits are two tiny 

 little creatures from the sandy districts of Somaliland, 

 locally known by the name of farumf er, and scientifically 

 as Heterocephalus. They are about the size of a mouse, 

 with large heads, moderately long tails, long powerful 

 fore-feet, no external ear-conchs, minute eyes, and the 

 whole skin naked, save for a few sparse bristly hairs. 

 About as ugly a creature as can well be conceived, the 

 farumf er, if clothed with a thick coat of fur, would be not 

 very unlike a rather long-tailed, long-limbed, and narrow- 

 handed mole. For tunnelling beneath the hot sand of 

 the Somali desert the naked skin of the farumfer is most 

 admirably adapted ; and as the creature is allied to the 

 South African Georyclius, it may be regarded as the member 

 of this group most specially adapted for a subterranean 

 existence. Mr. E. L. Phillips, who was the first to observe 

 these curious rodents in the living state, writes that they 

 threw up in certain districts groups of elevations in the 

 sand which maybe compared to miniature volcanic craters. 

 When the animals are at work, the loose sand from their 

 tunnels is brought to the bottom of the crater and sent 

 with considerable force into the air with a succession of 

 rapid jerks, the rodents themselves remaining concealed 

 in the shelter of their burrows, from which they appear 

 never to venture forth. 



The extensive assemblage of pouched or marsupial 

 mammals contains groups corresponding to several of 



