148 



RODEXTS. 



Anderson, the burrows of the mole-rat are made in sandy soil containing quantities 

 of bulbs of asphodels and hyacinths, u]:>on which the creature feeds. The tunnels 

 are of great extent and complexity, some of the passages being as much as thirty 

 or forty yards in length, and are generally about eighteen inches below the surface. 

 In certain spots the borings descend, however, to a depth of some four feet, and 

 here some of them terminate in chambers packed full of bulbs, while others open 

 out into sleeping apartments, from which secondary passages again radiate. Dr. 

 Anderson states that " the tunnels are perfectly smooth and cylindrical, and in 

 digging through the soil above them numerous bulbs of the same kind as those 

 found in the storehouse were observed/' When taken from its burrow, the first 

 instinct of the animal is to dig headlong into the soil : and when underground it is 

 able to move with equal facility either backwards or forwards. 



In Northern India, Tibet, China, Burma, and the Malayan region, 

 as well as in Abyssinia, the family is represented by a group of species, 

 commonly known as bamboo-rats ( Rhizomys), which differ from the preceding by 





Bamboo -Rats. 



THE GREAT MOLE-HAT (A Dat. size). 



the minute eyes not being covered with skin, as well as by the presence of small 

 external naked ears, and of a short tail partially covered with hair. The bay 

 bamboo-rat (R. bach us), ranging from the Eastern Himalaya to Siam, is one of the 

 best known representatives of this genus, and attains a length of from 7 to 9 inches, 

 exclusive of the tail, which is about 2i more. This species generally makes its 

 burrows among tall rank grass, but sometimes at the roots of trees, and in their 

 construction uses its teeth as well as its claws. There is some doubt whether these 

 animals drive tunnels in search of roots, as they are known to issue forth at night 

 in order to feed on the young shoots of grass, ami probably bamboo, but it is 

 generally believed that they also eat roots. When above ground, they move 

 slowly, and they are said to be so fearless, or stupid, as to allow themselves 



