ANIMALS. , 327 



in length about nine inches ; its eyes are large and black ; the 

 colour of the head, and the whole upper part of the body, is of 

 a light brown, mixed with a tawny and ash colour. The end of 

 the nose, the throat and belly, are of a dirty white, inclining to 

 gray ; the feet and legs are almost bare, and of a dirty pale flesh 

 colour; the tail is as long as the body, covered with minute 

 dusky scales mixed with a few hairs, and adds to the general 

 deformity of its detestable figure. It is chiefly in the colour 

 that this animal differs from the black rat, or the common rat, as 

 it was once called ; but now common no longer. This new in- 

 vader, in a very few years after its arrival, found means to de- 



lively, and it climbs and swims with agility. It lives underground, as 

 we have said, in deep dens which it digs with a most astonishing facil- 

 ity. Its perseverance in labour produces effects apparently far surpass- 

 ing the extent of its powers. It penetrates everywhere. It pierces walls 

 and displaces pavements ; and, as the surmulots generally miite in great 

 niunbers, when they enter a habitation, they even put the foundation 

 of it in considerable danger. They eat animal and vegetable substances in. 

 differently ; grains, roots, and flesh ; and though portions of snch provisions 

 are constantly foiuid at the bottom of theii burrows, yet they lay up no 

 store, at least when they inliatiit oiu- dwellings. Buffon says that the old 

 males remain in the country during the winter, and fill their burrows with 

 acoms, &c., which would lead us to suppose tliat their instinctive propensi- 

 ties varied according to circumstances. But this would be a phenomenon 

 so extraordinary, as to require a very complete and distinct authentication. 

 They make use of their fore teeth in eating, and di'ink much, lapping with 

 their tongues. They bring forth many times in the year, and generally from 

 eight to twelve at a birth. \Vlien they are annoyed in their establishments 

 by men or animals, they remove, and sometimes emigrate to a considerable 

 distance. The habitation they then choose for their retreat is in considera- 

 ble jeopardy. If they are very numerous, it is likely to be overturned. 

 Towards the middle of the sixteenth century, they were observed for the 

 first time in the neigbourhood of Paris, and M. F. Cuvier assures xis that in 

 some of the departments of France they are yet unknown. PaUas tells us 

 that they arrived at Astracan in the autumn of 17:^, in such numbers, and 

 in so shoi;t a time, that notliing could be done to oppose them. They came 

 from the western desert, and transversed the waves of the Volga, which 

 unquestionably must have swallowed up a part of tlieir horde. Tliey have 

 not advanced any further to the North, and are not to be foimd in Siberia. 



The general colour of this animal is a darkish-gray fawn above, and a 

 pale-gray below. The tail is scaly, i. e. covered with small parallelograms 

 Of epidermis ranged in circles around it, and underneath the extremity of 

 each lamina of epidermis grow some small gray hairs. The hairs which 

 cover the limbs and the head are short. The raitstacldos are black, and the 

 soles of the feet, wliich are naked, are flesh-coloiued, as are also the ears 

 and extremity of the muzzle. 



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