QUADRUPEDS. 307 



We may here notice the genus BaiJiyergus, peculiar to 

 the south of Africa. The sand mole {B. mariiihius), as the 

 larger species is usually called, occurs in abundance along 

 the sandy shoresof the Cape of Good Hope, where it fre- 

 quently renders the ground hollow by its excavations, and 

 consequently inconvenient, if not dangerous, to horsemen. 

 It feeds principally on bulbous roots, such as those of ixiae 

 and antholyzae. This animal is of the size of a rabbit. 

 It runs awkwardly on the surface, but burrows and makes 

 its way under ground with great facility. The other spe- 

 cies is known by the name of Cape rat (B. Capensis). Its 

 habits are similar to those of the species just mentioned, 

 but it is considerably smaller. It is destructive to gardens 

 and ornamented pleasure grounds, by throwing up the 

 earth, like our European mole, in the course of its subter- 

 ranean excavations. A third species has been lately 

 described under the name of Bathyergus Hottentotics, by 

 MM. Lesson and Gamot. 



Another genus found in Africa, though not peculiar to 

 that continent, is the Dipus or gerboa. The Egyptian 

 gerboa inhabits the environs of Memphis and the Pyramids. 

 This species appears to have been known to the ancients 

 under the name of two-footed mouse. It is a beautiful 

 little animal, remarkable for its extended tail and the great 

 length of its hind legs. It is hunted with greyhounds by 

 the Arabs of the kingdom of Tripoli. The Prince of Tunis 

 presented Bruce with a trained greyhound, which afforded 

 him excellent sport in that way. 



The Cape gerboa (D. Cafer), now referred by naturalists 

 to the genus Helamys, is the largest of the tribe. It mea- 

 sures one foot two inches from nose to tail, and the tail is 

 fifteen inches long. This species is remarkable for its 

 great strength and activity. It will spring from twenty to 

 thirty feet at a single bound, and inhabits the mountainous 

 countries to the north of the Cape of Good Hope. It is 

 called the springcn haas, or jumping hare, by the Dutch 

 colonists. 



Rats and mice, like many other domestic nuisances, are 

 now very generally distributed over the globe. Wherever 

 European nations have colonized, these small but adven- 

 turous creatures have accompanied the merchant or the 



