SOS NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA. 



mariner ; and from the forlorn settlements of the for tradcre 

 of North America to the populous cities of the south of 

 Asia, their furtive habits of destruction are the source of 

 equal annoyance. The common brown rat {Mus decuma,- 

 nv/s) is a native of India, and only made its appearance 

 among the western nations of Europe from the begimiing 

 to the middle of last century. The original country of its 

 predecessor, the black rat {M. rattus), if not unknown, is at 

 least doubtful. It is not mentioned by any ancient writer, 

 and appears to have been introduced into Europe during the 

 middle ages. Within the last half century it has been 

 nearly extirpated from most of the great European cities 

 by its larger and more powerful rival. 



Africa produces several species of murine anunals, not 

 hitherto recognised in any other region of the earth. A 

 beautiful small species, discovered and described by Sparr- 

 man, is native to the forest countries of the Slangen River, 

 eastward from the Cape of Good Hope. It appears, how- 

 ever, to be nearly allied to the genus arvicola, which includes 

 the water-rats. 



The dormice (genus Myoxus) are also represented ia 

 Africa by a species communicated by Pennant to Sir Joseph 

 Banks, and said to have been discovered among the moun 

 tains of Sneuwberg, above 800 miles beyond the Cape. Its 

 size is that of a squirrel ; but its shape is broader and mora 

 flattened. Nothing is known of its habits or history, or 

 whether, as Martial supposed of another species of dor- 

 mouse, it not only hibernates but is fattened by repose, — 

 Tola mi hi dormitur hiems ; et pinguior illo 

 Tempore sum quo me nu nisi somnus alit. 



We have seen, even in the course of the slight view 

 which we have hitherto taken of the quadrupeds of Africa, 

 that some genera are emireiy restricted to that continent, 

 while others are distributed likewise over Europe and Asia. 

 The genus Hystrix, which contains the porcupines, as for- 

 merly constituted was remarkable for its dispersion over ail 

 the four quarters of the globe ; but, as the American spe- 

 cies are classed by recent systematists in a separate genus, 

 the true porcupines may be said to be confined to the Old 

 World. 



The common porcupine {Hystrix dorsata) inhabits twa 



