AND LOWER' EGYPT. 169 



" well known that this animal likewise lives in 

 " Egypt, Barbary, Palestine, and the deserts be- 

 " tween Bassora and Aleppo. 



" I shall only indulge myself in one remark more 

 '*■ on an assertion of M. Sonnini, that the gerbo 

 " was never more lively and alert than when ex- 

 " posed to the full blaze of the meridian sun. This 

 " is a very singular affirmation, for M. Klokner, 

 " who was in possession of some of those animals, 

 " declares positively that they sleep in the day- 

 " time, and are afraid of the light (Buffon, Supp. 

 " vol. vi. p. 264). 1 have likewise seen at Lau- 

 " sanne, in the collection of M. Doyat, four or 

 " five gerboises, which he brought with him from 

 " Arabia, and which kept themselves concealed and 

 " at rest in the daytime; finally, M. Pallas says, 

 " in positive terms, of the musjacultts: Protracti in 

 n lucem diu, vix pedibus imistunt, quasi stupidi vel 

 " ebrii, mutique, nee aures facile vitali vigor e eri- 

 " gunt, vixque ad salt and urn excitari possunt, car- 

 " cere calidiore forsan len/iores redditi*. M. Pallas 

 lt adds, that those animals grow benumbed in win- 



* Pallas, the work already quoted, p. 288. When exposed 

 to the light for any considerable time, they become incapable 

 almost to stand, as if they were stupified or drunk, and, struck 

 dumb, they want animal vigour sufficient so much as to prick 

 up their ears, nor can any stimulus excite them to dance about, 

 being perhaps rendered sluggish by the increased heat of their 

 prison. 



*' ter. 



