THE RAT KIND. 



371 



joy, it is most liberally possessed of others, 

 which they have in a more scanty proportion. 

 This animal, so well known in England, is, 

 however, utterly a stranger in other places, 

 and particularly in Ireland. For such, there- 

 fore, as have never seen it, a short descrip- 

 tion will be necessary. And, in the first 

 place, though somewhat of a size between 

 the rat and the mouse, it no way resembles 

 either, being an animal entirely of a singular 

 'cind, and perfectly unlike any other quadru- 

 ped whatever. It is bigger than a mouse, 

 with a coat of fine, short, glossy, black hair. 

 Its nose is long and pointed, resembling that 

 of a hog, but much longer. Its eyes are so 

 small, that it is scarce possible to discern 

 them. Instead of ears, it has only holes, in 

 the place. Its neck is so short, that the head 

 seems stuck upon the shoulders. The body 

 is thick and round, terminating by a very 

 small short tail, and its legs also are so very 

 short, that the animal seems to lie flat on its 

 belly. From under its belly, as it rests in 

 this position, the four feet appear just as if 

 they immediately grew out of the body. 

 Thus the animal appears to us at first view 

 as a mass of flesh covered with a fine, shining, 

 black skin, with a little head, and scarce 

 any legs, eyes, or tail. On a close inspec- 

 tion, however, two little black points may be 

 discerned, that are its eyes. The ancients, 

 and some of the moderns, were of opinion 

 that the animal was utterly blind ; but Der- 

 ham, by the help of a microscope, plainly dis- 

 covered all the parts of the eye that are 

 known iu other animals, such as the pupil, 

 the vitreous and crystalline humours. The 

 fore legs appear very short and strong, and 

 furnished with five claws to each. These 

 are turned outwards and backwards, as the 

 hands of a man when swimming. The hind 

 legs are longer and weaker than the fore, 

 being only used to assist its motions ; where- 

 as the others are continually employed in 

 digging. The teeth are like those of a shrew- 

 mouse, and there are five on both sides of 

 the upper jaw, which stand out; but those 

 behind are divided into points. The tongue 

 is as large as the mouth will hold. 



Such is the extraordinary figure and for- 

 mation of this animal; which, if we compare 

 with its manner of living, we shall find a ma- 

 No. 31 &32. 



nifest attention in nature to adapt the one to 

 the other." As it is allotted a subterraneous 

 abode, the seeming defects of its formation 

 vanish, or rather are turned to its advantage. 

 The breadth, strength, and shortness of the 

 fore feet, which are inclined outwards, an- 

 swer the purposes of digging, serving to throw 

 back the earth with greater case, and to pur- 

 sue the worms and insects which arc its prey: 

 had they been longer, the falling in of the 

 earth would have prevented the quick repe- 

 tition of its strokes in vorking; or have oblig- 

 ed it to make a large hole in order to give 

 room for their exertion. The form of the 

 body is not less admirably contrived for its 

 way of life. The fore part is thick, and very 

 muscular, giving great strength to the action 

 of the fore feet, enabling it to dig its way 

 with amazing force and rapidity either to pur- 

 sue its prey, or elude the search of the most 

 active enemy. By its power of boring the 

 earth, it quickly gets below the surface ; and 

 I have seen it, when let loose in the midst of 

 a field, like the ghost on a theatre, instantly 

 sink into the earth; and the most active la- 

 bourer, with a spade, in vain attempted to 

 pursue. 



The smallness of its eyes, which induced 

 the ancients to think it was blind, is, to this 

 animal, a peculiar advantage. A small de- 

 geee of vision is sufficient for a creature that 

 is ever destined to live in darkness. A more 

 extensive sight would only have served to 

 show the horrors of its prison, while nature 

 had denied it the means of an escape. Had 

 this organ been larger, it would have been 

 perpetually liable to injuries, by the falling 

 of the earth into it; but nature, to prevent 

 that inconvenience, has not only made them 

 very small, but very closely covered them 

 with hair. Anatomists mention, beside these 

 advantages, another that contributes to their 

 security ; namely, a certain muscle, by which 

 the animal can draw back the eye whenever 

 it is necessary or in danger. 



As the eye is thus perfectly fitted to the 

 animal's situation, so also are the senses ot 

 hearing and smelling. The first gives it no- 

 tice of the n;ost distant appearance of dan- 

 ger ; the other directs it, in the midst of dark- 



British Zoology. 



3L 



