422 VERTEBRATA. 



is of a bright yellowish-tawny color above, varied with blackish; white below, with a lino of the 

 same color in the fold of tin' groins ; legs brown ; tail reddish above at its origin, gray below, and 

 black at the tip; length from the nose to tail abont one foot two inches; of the tail, near fifteen 

 inches; of the ears, three inches. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, where it sleeps during 

 the day, going forth by night; it moves by jumps on its hind-legs, like the jerboa, often leaping 

 twenty or thirty feet at a bound. It eats sitting nearly upright, with the hind-legs extended hori- 

 zontally, and using the small fore-feet to 1 ring the food to its mouth. It feeds on vegetables, and 

 is excessively timid, burying itself in its burrow upon the slightest alarm. It is a very strong an- 

 imal, and with the fore-feet, which are admirably formed for digging, burrows so expeditiously as 

 quickly to hide itself. 



THE PETROMYS TTPICUS. 



Genus PETROMYS : Petromys. — These animals move upon the hind-legs, which are not much 

 larger than the fore-ones; the tail is nearly as long as the body. One species only is known, the 

 Rock-Rat, P. typicus, which is but about seven inches long, and the tail five and a half inches ; it 

 is of a reddish color, and builds its nest among the stones and in the crevices of the rocks. It is 

 found in southwestern Africa, in the region of Orange River. 



THE CTEXODACTYLIENS. 



These consist of the single genus Ctcnodactylus, and the single species C. Massonii, of the size 

 of a small rabbit, of a gray color, with a short tail, and found in Southern Africa. 



THE MYOXIDES. 



Of this family the Dormouse is the type, and constitutes the principal member of the genus. 

 All the species belong to the Eastern Hemisphere. 



Genus MY* >XI'S : Myoxus, the Loir of Gervais: this comprises the Dormouse or Sleeper of the 

 English: M. avellanarius of naturalists. It i- the Muscardin, Croque-Noix, and Rat-d'Or of the 

 French; Moscariliun of the Italians; Liron of the Spanish; Rothc Wald-Maus, ffasel-Maus, and 

 Hosel-Schlafer of the Germans. It has been placed by some naturalists among the squirrels, 

 which it resemble-, in it> form and appearance. It is the smallest species in the ijenus, being 

 about three and a half inches long, and the tail of equal length. The head is rather large, the 

 eye, large, black, and prominent; muzzle not blunt; ears broad, about one-third the length of 

 the head; body plump and round; tail flattened, the hairs rather long and bushy; head, back, 

 sides, belly, and tail, tawny red. Its favorite retreats are dense thickets, bushy dells, and tangled 

 hedgerows, though it sometimes lives in the forests. There it constructs its easy dormitory, and 

 there providently lays up its winter store, consisting of acorns, beech-mast, corn, young hazel-nuts, • 

 haws, <fcc. It seems inclined to be gregarious, ten or a dozen, or even more, of their nests being 



