THE COMMON JERBOA. 35* 



The fore-feet have only three toes ; the hind-feet have four 

 toes, and a small one behind the heel where there is a tuft 

 of black hair. The tail is six inches and a quarter in length ; 

 half of it is thinly covered with hair of a lighter or whiter 

 colour than the body; it terminates in a beautiful brush of 

 long black and white hairs. 



The jerboa lives in the smoothest plains of the desert, 

 especially where the soil is fixed gravel, for in that it chiefly 

 burrows, dividing its hole below into many chambers. Seem- 

 ingly apprehensive of the falling in of the ground, it gene- 

 rally digs its hole under the root of some spurge, thyme, or 

 absinthium, which serves as a secure roof to its subterranean 

 habitation. Bruce says, he is very certain that it is not a 

 gregarious animal, for though jerboas have a number of holes 

 in the same place, he never saw more than two together at a 

 time. 



Its long legs, and its jumping mod of progression, also 

 require the smooth plain surface on which nature has always 

 placed this creature. It usually stands upon its hind legs alone ; 

 and rests itself by sitting down like the kangaroo, or more 

 rarely, by lying on all fours. Its long tail appears to be of 

 great service in guiding and directing it in jumping. The 

 Arabs of the kingdom of Tripoli, do not employ their grey- 

 hounds to hunt gazelles till they have trained the former to 

 turn nimbly by hunting the jerboa, whose agility is such, that 

 Bruce often saw a greyhound employ a quarter of an hour 

 before he could master his nimble prey in a large enclosure 

 or court-yard. 



In the old Arabic translation of Isaiah from the Hebrew, this 

 animal is mentioned as forbidden food : " They that sanctify 

 and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the 

 midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the jerboa* 

 shall be consumed together, saith the Lord." (Chap. Ixvi. verse 

 17.) The Arab canonists differ as to whether it can be lawfully 



* The English translation reads mouse, in accordance with the signification 

 of the Hebrew word. 



