1796 The Zoologist— August, 18G9. 



survivors of the much reduced ranlcs finally perisli. Mr. Lloyd mentions 

 thatjust before his visit to Werniiland, the lemmings had overrun the 

 whole country. The primary cause of these slrange migrations is gene- 

 rally thought to be hunger. It is fortunate for the country that these 

 razzias only occur at rare intervals, a space of ten to fifteen years 

 generally elapsing between then), as if to fill up the places of those 

 which were drowned or otherwise killed in the preceding migration." 

 Wood's III list rated Natiiiud History, vol. i., p. 564. 



The migrations of the rat {Miis decumnnns) are still more won- 

 derful : it came from the east, and having traversed Asia, Europe and 

 America, seems like the Teuton to be seeking new worlds to conquer. 



Of " Man and his Migrations" so much has been written, and so 

 well, especially by my lamented relative Dr. Prichard and by 

 Dr. Latham, — on whom tlie mantle of Prichard seems to have fallen, 

 — that it would be almost an impertinence on my part to enter into 

 farther details, and yet these phenomena are of such paramount 

 interest that it would be inexcusable to ])ass them over in total silence. 

 1 will mention two instances only, — the Israelites and the Teutons, — 

 because these papers already occupy too large a space in the monthly 

 issues of this periodical, not because the subject can possibly be ex- 

 hausted by any amount of illustration, or can possibly fail to interest 

 those who have once given it a moment's consideration ; for I hold 

 with Akenside, as quoted by John Hunter, and again by Dr. Latham, 



that— 



" The spacious West, 

 And ill! ilie it-eming rejiions of the Souih, 

 Hold 1)1.1 ii quariy, lo tlie ciniods flight 

 Or ki)()wleilj;e half so temiiling or so fail', 

 An Alan lo iMan." 



The Exodus of nations is not tl.e work of a day ; forty years were 

 occupied in the transit of the Israelites from Egypt into Palestine, and 

 this was not accomi)lished without strenuous resistance. The battle 

 with Amalek which lasted until the going down of the sun; the 

 driving out the Amoiite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the 

 Hivite and the Jebusite ; the entire history of the wars of Joshua, 

 show how great and how difficult was the enterprise undertaken by 

 Moses of leading the Israelites into the promised land. There is a 

 curious similitude and an equally curious contrast between the Exodus 

 of the Israelites and that of the Teutons; the historian, in the first 



