MAMMALS OF MESOPOTAMIA. 395 



distributed along the Mesopotamian plains to the sea. In the immediate 

 neighbourhood of Mosul I have seen the mounds and tunnels of a species 

 of mole or rodent mole which does not occur lower down. 



The capture of a 'badger' with young was reported at the Ali Gherbi 

 Military Grass Farm during a flood. From the description there seems little 

 doubt it was the new species of ratel, which has been obtained by Col 

 A. T. Wilson in the foothills near the Tyb river less than 30 miles distant 

 and is mentioned by Kinnear. 



Of real forest land there is none, although the broad belt of date palms 

 that fringe the banks of the Shatt-al-Arab gives that impression from the 

 river, until glimpses of the desert appear a mile or so in the background. 

 These plantations are the haunt of the jackal and the Persian mungoose. 



I am inclined to treat the stories of ancient Mesopotamian forests as a 

 myth. If the Kings of Egypt came there to hunt elephants it is probable 

 they also hunted their owners who had imported them. The buildincx of 

 the huge canals at least four thousand years ago points to the land being 

 desert then and not a region capable of sustaining natural forest. Two 

 vast permanent reed covered marshes have been formed above Kama by 

 the overflow of the Tigris, Euphrates and Kerkha, a Persian river. 

 These are the Hammar Lake and Hawaiza marsh. These and 

 smaller marsh districts have so far produced no mammal peculiar to 

 those areas unless we may include the otter. Judging by the number of 

 these skins exposed for sale in the bazaars, they must be plentiful. 



Patches of thick jungle occur locally in the large U bends of the rivers 

 and grow a tangle of dwarf tamarisk and Euphrates popular. They seldom 

 exceed a mile or two in width, but harbour small herds of wild pig. It is 

 unfortunate that no skins or skulls have been sent so we do not yet 

 know the species. We can be sure however that the boars seen are too 

 large to be the Indian pig and I am of opinion that the hair is too brown 

 for the typical European wild boar and lack the hoary grey tinge of the 

 bristles of this species several of which I have examined recently in the 

 London Zoological Gardens. It is also certain from the many mascots seen 

 about the Mesopotamian camps that the young are striped. 



Low cover is afiorded by scrub growing in the vicinity of banks of rivers 

 and canals. This chiefly consists of a dwarf acacia, Prosopis stephania, 

 the " Shok " of the Arabs and the wild liquorice plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra ; 

 also Lycium europaeum, a thorny plant with bright red berries, and 

 Sueda monoica, of which the lower leaves are succulent and which appears 

 to thrive also on the salt lands, where no other plants can live. 



Here are the wild cat, hares, jackal, mole rats, several of the gerbils 

 {Tatera, Dipodillus and Meriones) and the hedge hogs. The foxes are found 

 in the bare desert country behind, seeming to prefer it to the cover. 



The country on the right bank of the Euphrates has distinct features. 

 It is the only real desert region and is in fact the edge of the Syrian desert. 

 Gravel is found as far down as Shaiba within a fevv miles of the sea. The 

 hysena, and Loftus' jerboa were obtained in this and no other locality, 

 add to this a very pale fox, jackal and hare and a new hedge-hog and 

 gerbil and we have evidence that this portion of the country contains a 

 fauna of exceptional interest : — 



Although the contributors to this collection are to be congratulated on 

 the results, it must not be considered that the work is finished. It has 

 just begun. The satisfaction of the thirst of science can be but temporary. 

 A few notes of the particulars required are given for the assistance of those 

 who find themselves in a position to continue the collection. 



