THE ROCK OR KLIP DASSIE 



ities throughout the Cape Province and Natal. It 

 also, however, occurs in other parts where the 

 environment is suitable to its existence. 



The Klip Dassie was evidently known to the 

 ancients, for in Psalms civ. 18, in the Bible, the 

 rocks are mentioned as being a refuge for the conies. 

 The Syrian species of Dassie or Rock Rabbit (Pro- 

 cavia syriaca) is commonly called a Coney, and is the 

 species probably alluded to. 



The word Dassie or Dasje is Dutch and means 

 Badger, therefore Klip Dassie is literally Rock 

 Badger. Dassie is the Africander way of spelling it, 

 and Dasje is the High Dutch way. 



The Dassie, however, is in no way related to the 

 Badger. The only near relative of the Badger in 

 South Africa is the Honey Ratel, which belongs to 

 the order of animals known as Carnivora. 



The Rock Dassie is truly a wonderful example of 

 the adaptation of animals to their surroundings. In 

 this instance we have an animal which is practically 

 defenceless. Beyond a few feeble attempts to nip 

 its aggressor with its curved front or incisor teeth, 

 it offers no active resistance. Therefore, lacking any 

 effective means of defence against its many enemies, 

 it adopts a negative one, as we shall presently notice. 



In the far-distant past South Africa had an 

 excessive rainfall, and the country was clothed with 

 dense forests, interspersed with great stretches of 

 rank grasses, lakes, rivers and gushing springs which, 

 unlike most of those of to-day, flowed all the year 



221 



