6oS 



THE FUR COUNTRY POUCHED RAT. 



distance from the surface that the earth gives way under the tread of any moderately 

 heavy animal. Mr. Burchell, the well-known African traveller, narrates that in travers- 

 ing the great sand flats of Southern Africa he was often endangered by his feet 

 sinking into the burrows of the Coast Rat, which had undermined the light soil in 

 every direction. The animal is rather slow of foot upon the surface of the ground, but 

 drives its subterranean tunnels with marvellous rapidity, throwing up little sandy hill- 

 ocks at intervals, like those of the common mole. On account of this propensity it has re- 

 ceived the name viZand Moll, or Sand Mole, from the Dutch Boers who inhabit the Cape. 

 The color of the Sand Mole is a uniformly light grayish-brown, rather variable in 

 tinting. As it is very soft and full in texture, and can be obtained in great quantities, 

 it might be profitably made a regular article of trade. The Sand Mole is as large as 

 our ordinary wild rabbit, being about fifteen inches in total length, the tail measuring 

 about three inches. 



FUR COUNTRY POUCHED RAT.-SaccopAorus borealis. 



THERE has been much confusion between the two following animals, which have 

 been by several authors considered to be identical with each other. They are, 

 however, to be easily distinguished from each other by the deep longitudinal grooves 

 which run along the upper incisors of the present animal, and the smooth or slightly 

 grooved incisors of the succeeding species. 



The FUR COUNTRY POUCHED RAT is a native of Canada, and is remarkable for the 

 enormous size of the cheek-pouches. The color of this animal's fur is generally of a 

 pale gray washed with yellow, fading into a slaty-blue towards the base of each hair. 

 The interior of the pouches, the abdomen, and the tail, are covered with white hair, 

 that which lines the pouches being very short and fine. A dusky spot is observable 

 behind each ear, the teeth are yellow and the claws white. The central claw of the 

 fore-feet is almost deserving of the title of talon, as it is powerfully made and nearly 

 half an inch in length. The total length of this animal is nearly ten inches, the tail 

 measuring about two inches.in length. 



It is rather gregarious in its habits, associating together in moderately large bands, 

 and undermining the ground in all directions. It is a vegetable feeder, preferring the 

 bulbous roots of the quamash, or camas (Scilla esculenta], to any other diet, and is 

 therefore called by some writers, the Camas Rat. This title is, however, given to 

 several allied animals. It also feeds on nuts, roots, grain, and seeds of various kinds. 

 The burrow of this animal is not very deep, but runs for a considerable distance in a 

 horizontal direction, and along its course occasional hillocks are thrown up, by means 

 of which it may be traced from the surface. 



