186 



THE COMMON GEEBOA. 



BOA of Northern Africa. This beautiful and active little animal is 

 hardly larger than an ordinary English rat, although its peculiar at- 

 titudes and its extremely long tail give it an appearance of greater 

 dimensions than it really possesses. The general color of its fur is a 

 light dun washed with yellow, the abdomen being nearly white. The 

 tail is of very great proportionate length, is cylindrical in shape, and 

 tufted at its extremity with stiff* black hairs, the extreme tip being 

 white. 



The Gerboa is a burrowing animal, and lives in society, so that it 

 forms large natural " warrens " in those parts of the country where 

 it takes up its residence. It is much hunted by the natives, who set 

 some store by its rather unpalatable flesh, and is captured by stopping 

 up as many burrows as can conveniently be reached, and killing the 



The Gerboa {Dipus JEgyptius). 



Gerboas as they rush aff'righted from the open entrances. This is, in- 

 deed, almost the only successful mode of capturing these fleet and 

 agile creatures ; for if they can once leap away from the immediate 

 vicinity of their pursuers, they scour over the ground with such won- 

 derful speed that they can hardly be overtaken even by a trained grey- 

 hound. 



The food of these animals consists chiefly of roots and similar sub- 



