288 RODENTIA. 



"Rodents as a whole are characterized by their dull 

 and frequently uniform coloration, although there are 

 many exceptions to this. Indeed, many of the squirrels 

 from the warmer regions of the globe, as well as one of 

 the species of marmot, are among the most brilliantly col- 

 ored of all animals. In the brighter-colored forms it does 

 not appear that any rule can be laid down as to the plan of 

 coloration. Thus while in many of the squirrels the bril- 

 liant colors take the form of distinct patches, distributed 

 over various parts of the body, in the palm-squirrels and 

 ground-squirrels there are light longitudinal stripes on a 

 dark ground, and in the pacas there are light-colored 

 spots. It appears, however, that no Rodent exhibits trans- 

 verse bars of different colors on the body, and in none is 

 the tail ornamented with alternate light and dark rings." 



With the exception of the Beaver, Chinchilla and 

 Viscacha, which have been considered in the preceding 

 chapters, all the Rodents belong either to the Hare or 

 Squirrel families ; or to the Rat tribe, which comprises all 

 the different families into which the mice and rats have 

 been divided bv the scientists. 



