THE SIBERIAN JERBOA.' 4/1 



bary, Syria, and some parts of Tartary ; but sel- 

 dom in great plenty. It is of a pale-yellowish fawn 

 colour on the upper parts, and white beneath. The 

 length of the body is about eight inches ; and of 

 the tail, ten. It very much resembles the Egyp- 

 tian Jerboa ; except in the hind-feet, each of which 

 has five instead of three toes. 



The Jerboas inhabit dry^ hard, and clayey ground. 

 They dig their burrows very speedily, not only with 

 their fore-feet, but with their teeth ; and iiing the 

 earth back with their hind-feet, so as to form a heap 

 at the entrance. The burrows are many yards long ; 

 and run obliquely and winding, but not above half- 

 a-yard deep below the surface. They end in a large 

 space or nest, tlie receptacle of the purest herbs. 

 They have usually but one entrance ; yet, by a 

 wonderful sagacity, the animals work from their 

 nest another passage, to within a very small space 

 from the surface, which, in case of necessity, they 

 can burst through, and so escape *. 



The sands and rubbish which surround modern 

 Alexandria, are much frequented by the Jerboas. 

 They live there in troops ; and, in digging the 

 ground, are said to penetrate even through a stra- 

 tum of softish stone, wdiich is under the laver 

 of sand. Though not actually wild, they are ex- 

 ceedingly restless : the slightest noise, or any new 

 object wdiatcver, makes them retire to their holes 

 with the utmost precipitation. 



It is almost impossible to kill them, except wheri. 



Peiin. Quad. ii. -I.jO. 



H h 4 



