1 62 



THE GNAWERS OR RODENTS. 



The Alactagas (Alactaga or Scirtetes) of | Africa, and its mode of life resembles that of 



Asia have exactly the 

 habit of ordinary jer- 

 boas, but differ in not 

 having the three me- 

 tatarsal bones fused 

 together, and in hav- 

 ing, besides the three 

 principal toes, two 

 side-toes which do not 

 touch the ground. 

 The species repre- 

 sented (fig. 219), the 

 Jumping-rabbit of Si- 

 beria (A. jaculus), is 

 nearly of the size of 

 a squirrel. It inhabits 

 the steppes of Asia 

 and European Russia. 

 The Cape Jumping- 

 hare {Pedetes caffer), 

 fig. 220, resembles an 

 ordinary hare in the shape of its ears and the 

 colour of its fur, and 

 is of about the same 

 size ; but its fore-legs 

 are stronger and the 

 hind-legs shorter 

 than in the allied 

 jumpers. The feet 

 are completely cov- 

 ered with hair and 

 have five free toes 

 furnished with hoof- 

 like nails. The long 

 tail is likewise com- 

 pletely covered with 

 hair. The four 

 cheek-teeth have 

 only a single enamel 

 fold, which in the 

 lower jaw runs in 

 from the interior and 

 in the upper from the 

 exterior. Thejump- 



•ocKci-iiiouic \uijioaomys I'lullipsn). 



Fig. 222. — The Gopher (Geomys iursaria). 



ing-hare is a native of the steppes of Southern [ group the Gopher [Geomys bursaria), fig. 222, 



the members of allied 

 genera. It also lives 

 in holes in the ground. 

 Its flesh is as highly 

 esteemed as that of 

 our own hare. 



A rather aberrant 

 genus is that of the 

 "Pocket-mice" of the 

 Americans (Dipodo- 

 mys), which are na- 

 tives of California and 

 Mexico, and in which 

 the possession of 

 cheek-pouches open- 

 ing externally by 

 lateral slits is added 

 to the general habit 

 of jerboas. The 

 pouches are situated 

 on both sides of the 

 mouth, and are haired on the interior. Phil- 

 lips's Pocket -mouse 

 {D. Phillipsii), fig. 

 221, lives in general 

 like the jerboas. Its 

 domain extends even 

 to Texas. It is 

 scarcely larger than 

 a mouse. 



A series of Ameri- 

 can genera in which 

 the difference in size 

 between the fore and 

 hind legs tends more 

 and more to disap- 

 pear, leads up to the 

 clumsy thickset forms 

 resembling the moles 

 in form, and posses- 

 sing three simple 

 cheek-teeth without 

 roots. We select as 

 representative of this 



