T H E S O U S L I K, &c. 235 



called fovjlik in the Ruffian language, which 

 furnifhes a beautiful fur. In figure and fliort- 

 nefs of tail, it has a great refemblance to the 

 fhort-tailed field moufe. But it is diftinguiflied 

 from the moufe or rat kind by its fur, which is 

 every where interfperftd with fmall fpots of a 

 bright and fliining white. Thefe fpots exceed 

 not a line in diameter, and are placed at the di- 

 ftance of two or three lines from each other. 

 They are more confpicuous, and better defined 

 upon the loins than on the ihoulders and head. 

 Mr Pennant, a well known and very able Natu- 

 ralift, favoured me with one of thefe foufliks, 

 which had been tranfmitted to him from Auftria, 

 as an animal unknown to the Naturalifts. I re- 

 ccTnifed it to be the fame animal with that of 

 which I had a fkin in my pofieffion, and of 

 which M. Sanchez * fcnt me the following no- 

 tice : ' Great numbers of the rats called Soufliks 

 ' are taken in the barks loaded with fait in the 

 ' river Kama, which defcend from Solikamfki, 



* where there are fait pits, and fall into the 



* Wolga, above the tovv/u ot Cafan, at the con- 



* fluence 



a yellowidi brown colour, marked with faint round fpots of 

 •white ; above and below the eye, a bar of white ; face, breaft, 

 belly, and legs, of a pale yellow ; four toes before, five behind ; 

 tail half the length of the bcdy, covered with fliort hair of the 

 colour of the body ; fize of a large rat ; Pennant' t Sympf. of 

 <juad. p. 273. 



Mus marmota, fp. 15. Forjl.i; I lift. Nat. Volgae. Phil. T ratify 



vul. si-p- 343- ^„ ^ 



* Formerly phyfician to the court of Rulha. 



