On the Rabbit as known to the Ancients. 179 



culiim of Oeorissa sarrita, which is by my brother, are drawn 

 by Capt. Gochvin-Austen. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XVI. 



Fit/. 1. Georissa sarrita, Benson, sp. ; shell, magnified about 18 diameters; 

 the mouth is a little turned away : 1 a, operculum, seen from 

 the inside, showing the projection, magnified ; 1 b, animal, 

 sketched in three different positions, magnified ; 1 c, lingual 

 ribbon, magnified 250 diameters ; 1 d, teeth near the centre, still 

 further enlarged ; 1 e, uncini near the margin. 



Fiij. 2. Actcida (Acmdla) term, Benson, sp. ; shell, magnified about 15 

 diameters. The specimens sent to me by Capt. Godwin-Austen 

 differ in being more conical and less ovate, but otherwise agree 

 well. The shell perhaps varies slightly in form. 2 a, oper- 

 culum, magnified. A small portion of the foot (/) remained 

 attached, and could not be removed, on account of the minute- 

 ness and thinness of the operculum. 2 5, animal, magnified, 

 sketched in three different positions. 2 c, lingual ribbon, greatly 

 magnified ; the outer teeth to the left partly turned back. 



Calcutta, December 26, 1868. 



XXV. — The Babbit (Lepus cuniculus) as known to the Ancients. 

 By the Rev. W. Houghton, M.A., F.L.S. 



The rabbit appears to have been but little known to the an- 

 cients ; the old inhabitants of Greece and Rome were not 

 plagued, as tenant farmers in this country are, with this pro- 

 lific little pest to agriculture. The rabbit in its wild state is 

 essentially a European animal. To the ancient Jews it was 

 entirely unknown ; there is no mention of it in the Bible ; it 

 is generally acknowledged that the Hebrew word (Shdphan) 

 rendered " coney" by the authorized version denotes the 

 Hi/ rax syriacus : several species of hare have been described 

 as occurring in the Bible-lands, but no kind of native rabbit. 

 Rabbits were noticed by Russell as occurring rarely in the 

 vicinity of Aleppo ; but they had been introduced from 

 Europe. If we turn to Aristotle, we shall find that, in all 

 probability, the rabbit was quite unknown to him, though he 

 sometimes speaks as if he were alluding to this animal. The 

 words he uses are \aycoos and Saainrovs : the former word 

 occurs but once in his l History of Animals,' viz. in a passage 

 (viii. 27. § 4) in which he mentions that the Xaywol of Egypt 

 are smaller than those of Greece. Of the haavTrovs he says : — 

 it is prudent and timid (i. l.§ 15) ; it is retromingent (ii. 3. § 4) ; 

 it is one of those animals which, having teeth in both jaws, 

 have cotyledons in the pregnant uterus (iii. 1. § 15) ; its blood, 

 like that of the stag, does not coagulate so completely as that 

 of many other animals (iii. 6. § 1) ; it alone of all animals has 



