AND LOWER EGYPT. l6j 



and seemed to suffer from the privation of warmth. 

 We have been told that the jerbo slept by day, 

 and never in the night-time ; for my own part, I 

 have observed precisely the contrary. In a state of 

 liberty, you meet them in broad daylight, gather- 

 ing round their subterraneous habitations, and 

 those which I fed under my own eye never were 

 more lively nor more awake than when exposed 

 to the full blaze of the sun. Though they have 

 much agility in their movements, gentleness and 

 tranquillity seem to form their character. Mine 

 suffered themselves to be stroked with great com- 

 posure ; there was among themselves no noise, 

 no quarrelling, even when food was scattered 

 among them. Besides, they discovered no symptom 

 of joy, of fear, or of gratitude. Their gentleness 

 was by no means amiable, it was not interesting ; 

 it appeared to be the effect of a cold and com- 

 plete indifference, approaching to stupidity. Three 

 of those jerbos died one after another, before I left 

 Alexandria ; I lost two more on a rough passage 

 to the island of Rhodes, where the last, through 

 the negligence of the person who had the charge 

 of him, got out of his cage, and disappeared. 

 When the vessel was unloaded, I had diligent 

 search made for him, but all to no purpose ; he 

 bad undoubtedly been devoured by the cats. 



M 2 It 



