78 CLASS MAMMALIA. 



sters, and the Gerboas, but their incisors are too 

 large to be covered by the lips. The extremities 

 of the lower incisors are formed corner-wise ; i e. 

 trenchant, rectilinear, transverse, and not in a point. 

 All their feet have five short toes, and five flat and 

 slender nails; their tail is very short, or rather no- 

 thing, as well as their external ear ; they live under 

 ground, and dig there like Moles, but with much 

 less powerful instruments, raising the earth like 

 them, but subsisting only on roots; their eyes are 

 also extremely small. 



The Zanni Slepez, or Blind Rat-Mole, (M. Typhlus, L.) 

 Pall Glir. VII. Schreb. CCVL 



- Have not even a visible eye externally, but 

 when the skin is raised, we find a very small 

 black point, which is organized like an eye, 

 without serving to the use of vision, since the 

 skin passes over without opening or even grow- 

 ing thinner, and without having less hairs upon 

 it than in any other point. This singular animal 

 has moreover an altogether deformed appear- 

 ance, from its thick head, angular on the sides, 

 its short legs, and no tail. It is about the size 

 of our Rat; of an ash-colour, bordering upon 

 red. It inhabits all the east of Europe, and 

 the neighbouring parts of Asia, as far as Persia. 

 It may be, according to M. Olivier, that the 

 ancients derived the notion of the Mole being 

 quite blind from this animal. 



