CASTORID.*:. MAMMALIA. CASTORID.E. 



137 



that " in the winter it travels under the snow in a 

 semi-cylindrical furrow, very neatly cut to the depth of 

 two inches and a half in the mossy turf. These hollow 

 ways cross each other at various angles, but occasion- 

 ally run to a considerable distance in a straight direc- 

 tion. From their smoothness, it was evident that they 

 were not merely worn by the feet, but actually cut by 

 the teeth." The muzzle of this species is blunt, and 

 the nose of a black colour ; the fur has a chestnut hue, 

 being greyish underneath. 



THE SLEPEZ (Spalax typhlus), or BLIND MOLE- 

 RAT, is a very singular animal (fig. 47). It is also 



Fie. 47. 





The Slepez or Blind Mole-rat (Spalax typhlus). 



known by the names of Podolian Mai-mot, Zemni, and 

 Sfochor Nomon, the latter name being that employed by 

 the Cossacks. It is characterized by the presence of 

 large incisor teeth, and twelve complex molars. The 

 head is even broader than the body, flat on the crown, 

 and truncated in front. There are no ears ; whilst the 

 eyes are almost rudimentary, being represented by tiny 

 specks partly concealed by the fur. The limbs and 

 feet are short, and armed with small claws. The fur is 

 soft, dense, and of an ashy-grey colour, inclining to red. 

 This animal, observes Mr. Broderip, "burrows exten- 

 sively beneath the tuif, driving at intervals lateral pass- 

 ages in its search for roots, particularly that of the 

 bulbous Chcerophyllum. Openings to the surface occur 

 at distances of some yards from each other, and there 

 the earth is raised into hillocks, sometimes of two yards 

 in circumference, and of considerable height. It works 

 stoutly and rapidly, and on the approach of an enemy 

 instantly digs a perpendicular burrow. Though it can- 

 not see, it lifts its head in a menacing attitude towards 

 its assailant, and when irritated snorts and gnashes its 

 teeth, but emits no cry ; its bite is very severe. In the 

 morning it often quits its hole, and during the season 

 of love basks in the sun with the female." According 

 to a popular superstition in the Ukraine, any one who 

 has squeezed this animal to death in his hand, and who 

 has been bitten by it in so doing, has conferred on him- 

 self the power of curing goitre by merely touching those 

 who are suffering from this disease. The Slepez is 

 about eight inches in length. 



FAMILY VI. CASTORID^E. 



The Beavers are readily distinguished from all other 

 Rodents by their flattened scaly tail, which in the typical 

 species has an oval outline. The molar teeth are 

 VOL. I. 



twelve in number; they have flattened crowns, the 

 inner border of the upper series being marked by a 

 single enamelled fold, and the outer by three folds; 

 this complicated arrangement is reversed in the lower 

 series (fig. 42). The feet are pentadactylous, the digits 

 of the hinder feet being clothed at the margins by long 

 hairs. The tail is more than half the length of the body, 

 being double-edged towards the free end, and covered 

 throughout with scales and short hairs. The habits of 

 the beavers are aquatic. Fossil remains of several spe- 

 cies have been found in various parts of Europe ; some 

 of those obtained from the crag deposits in Norfolk and 

 Suffolk differing in several respects from the 

 skeletons of those now living, and being, in the 

 view of Professor Owen, clearly distinctive of 

 a much larger species. There can be no doubt, 

 however, that the Beaver, which, though scarce, 

 is still living in- Europe, formerly abounded in 

 Great Britain ; and there is every reason to 

 believe that it is identical with the American 

 species, which we have now to describe. 



THE COMMON BEAVER (Castor fiber} 

 Plate 15, fig. 50. This well-known animal is 

 one of the largest, and at the same tune the 

 most interesting of all the Rodents, and con- 

 sequently demands at our hands a more length- 

 ened consideration than any of the foregoing. 

 The body measures nearly three and a half feet in 

 length, exclusive of the tail, which would give another 

 eleven or twelve inches. Ordinarily the fur has a 

 rich reddish-brown colour; though in some cases it 

 is spotted, in others black, and in a third rare variety 

 quite white. In Europe the Beaver occurs sparingly 

 along the banks of the Rhone, the Danube, and the 

 Weser; but in the northern districts of Canada it is 

 still very abundant in places. At one time such were 

 the multitudes destroyed annually, that it was feared this 

 useful animal would become totally extinct. To pre- 

 vent this, however, the furriers of the Hudson's Bay 

 Company and certain Indian tribes, have adopted 

 arrangements by which a moderate supply of furs 

 will always be forthcoming, for the manufacture 

 of hats and other articles. The most interesting 

 circumstance in the history of these animals is the 

 extraordinary skill they display in the construction of 

 their dams and dwellings. Many excellent records of 

 their habits, in this particular, have from time to time 

 appeared ; but for minuteness and accuracy of detail 

 none have equalled the account given by the traveller 

 Hearne in his " Journey to the Northern Ocean." 

 We shall, therefore, record his observations in extenso, 

 which are as follows : " Where the beavers are 

 numerous, they are found to inhabit lakes, ponds, and 

 rivers, as well as those narrow creeks which connect 

 the numerous lakes with which this country abounds ; 

 but the two latter are generally chosen by them, when 

 the depth of water and other circumstances are suit- 

 able, as they have then the advantage of a current to 

 convey wood and other necessaries to their habitations, 

 and because in general they are more difficult to be 

 j taken than those that are buOt in standing water. 

 j They always choose those parts that have such a depth 

 ! of water as will resist the frost in winter, and prevent 



