

The Brown Rat (Mus decumanus, Plate XII. 
fig. h) sometimes measures nearly a foot in length, 
without the tail. It is greyish brown above, and 
greyish white beneath. It is an Asiatic animal, which 
has migrated to Europe, and nearly exterminated the 
indigenous Black Rat (Wus rattus). Rats and mice 
are very prolific animals, which feed on everything 
which serves for food for man, and penetrate every- 
where into our dwellings and storehouses. 
The long-tailed Field-Mouse (Mus sylvaticus, 
Plate XIII. fig. i) not only lives in woods and thickets, 
but also likes to visit human dwellings. In the 
country it feeds on nuts, seeds, insects and even on 
small birds. It is brownish yellow above, and white 
below, and measures seven inches in length. 
The Arvicolide, or Voles, are sometimes classed 
with the true mice, but may be distinguished from them 
by their large incisors, stouter body, large head, and 
short ears and tail. They inhabit the northern parts 
of both hemispheres, and live in burrews in the 
ground. 
The Field-Mouse (Arvicola arvalis, Plate XIII. 
f) is yellowish grey above, and ‘dirty white 
beneath; it is rather smaller than the common mouse. 
It lives in fields, where it makes galleries and cham- 
bers in the ground, and lays up a store of grain, 
nuts &c. for the winter. But it sometimes ventures 
into houses too. 
The Spalactde or Mole-Rats are ugly animals 
with cylindrical bodies, small, hardly perceptible eyes, 
and paws formed for digging. They are very 
mischievous, because they burrow in the ground in 
all directions. They feed on the roots and bulbs 
of plants. 
The Mole-Rat (Spalax typhlus, Plate XIII. fig. k) 
has a large head, without visible eyes or ears, 
which seems to pass immediately into the body, 
owing to the shortness of the neck. There is no tail, 
and the legs are furnished with broad paws and 
strong claws. The Mole Rat is really blind, for its 
eyes are very small, and covered by the skin. It is 
found in Hungary, Russia and part of Western Asia, 
and is a vicious unsociable animal. 
The Leportde or Hares are easily known by 
their prominent head, large eyes and ears, long slender 
body, disproportionately ‘long hind legs and short tail. 
The Hares are the only Rodents which have two 
small rudimentary teeth in each jaw behind the two 
incisors. 
Hares are found in all parts of the world ex- 
cept Australia, and feed on juicy herbs and roots. 
They are active and graceful animals, and seem never 
wearied with running. They generally live gregariously, 
and multiply very rapidly. 
The Common Hare (Lepus timidus, Plate XIV. 

1115) 
fig. a) is nearly of the colour of the ground, and 
consequently the animal can easily be overlooked 
when it crouches down. It inhabits Central Europe, 
and part of Central Asia. 
The Alpine Hare (Lepus variabilis, Plate XIV. 
fig. b) is rather smaller than the common hare, the 
head is rounder, the ears longer, the hind legs longer 
and the soles of the feet more hairy. When the 
first snow falls, the black tips of the ears turn white, 
but in the spring they gradually return to their usual 
colour. It is found in the mountainous parts of 
Continental Europe, and in Scotland and Ireland. 
The Rabbit (Lepus cuniculus, Plate XIV. fig. c) 
is smaller and more slender than the hare, and has 
a shorter head and shorter ears. The hind legs, too, 
are shorter. The skin is usually greyish brown, and 
the tail is black above and white ae The do- 
mesticated varieties, however, vary much in colour. 
The Rabbit is very gregarious, and prefers bushy 
sandy places, where it digs burrows in the ground. 
It is more active in the evening or morning than in 
the heat of the day. 
The Beaver (Castor Fiber, Plate XIV. fig. d) 
is the type of the family Castoride. It is between 
three and four feet in length. The rather stout body 
is broader behind than before; the legs are short 
and strong, and the hind feet are webbed to the 
claws. The colour of the soft silky skin is chestnut- 
brown above, and lighter below. The flat, broad 
tail is only hairy for the first third of its length; 
the rest is naked, and is furnished with small furrows. 
The Beaver is much sought after for its fur, and for 
the odoriferous substance called castoreum, which is 
secreted in two glands near the tail. The Beaver is 
an amphibious animal, and generally rests in the 
reeds on the banks of streams or lakes. It builds 
its habitations which are often several feet high, in 
the water, and protects them by a dam. It feeds 
chiefly on the bark of trees which grow near the 
water. It is found in Europe, Asia and North America; 
but is now very scarce and local in Europe, and it 
has been so much persecuted that it is everywhere 
far less common than formerly. 
The Musquash (f7ber Zibethicus, Plate XIV. 
fig. e) is an inhabitant of North America. Its whole 
appearance is stout and stunted, the head is short 
and round, and the neck thick. The tail is laterally 
compressed, cultriform towards the end, and covered 
with small scales. The feet and toes are webbed at 
the sides; there are four toes on the fore feet and 
five on the hind feet. The full-grown animal mea- 
sures two feet in length, including the tail. It re- 
sembles the beaver in its very fine fur, which is 
brown above and grey beneath. The skin is valu- 
able, but always retains a strong smell of musk. 
Order VIII. 
Proboscidea. 
(Elephants.) 
(Plate XVI.) 
This Order only includes the family Elephantide. 
They are very large and bulky animals; with a thick 
hide sparingly clothed with hair, a short body, and 
long thick legs like pillars, with five toes provided 
with small hoofs. The nose is produced into a long 
trunk, with a finger-like process at the end, which 
serves as an organ of prehension. These animals 
have a very short neck, but use the trunk to grasp 
their food, and likewise for drinking, for they fill it 
with water, which they then squirt down their throats. 

The structure of the teeth is remarkable. The in- 
cisors are wanting in the lower jaw, and are repre- 
sented by two large teeth in the upper, which have 
no fangs, and grow continually. There are only two 
existing species, 
The Indian Elephant (Zlephas tndicus, Plate XVI. 
fig. b) is rather smaller than the African Elephant, 
from which it is distinguished by the more raised 
head, the smaller, moveable ears, and the shorter 
tusks, The hide is slate-colour, with blackish bristles, 
