THE GERBOA. 



4S7 



SPRING HAAS.— PateUx caffer. 



fore legs there are five toes, which are armed with powerful claws, by means of which the 

 animal digs its burrows, while the hinder feet are only furnished with four toes, each of 

 which is tipped with a long and rather sharply pointed claw. 



The Jerboidce find their best type in the common Gerboa of Northern Africa. 



This beautiful and active little animal is hardly larger than an ordinary English rat, 

 although its peculiar attitudes and its extremely long tail give it an appearance of greater 

 dimensions than it really possesses. The general color of its fur is a light dun, washed with 

 yellow, the abdomen being nearly white. The tail is of very great proportionate length, is 

 cylindrical in shape, and tufted at its extremity with stiff black hairs, the extreme tip being 

 white. From various experiments that have been made upon this member and its use to the 

 animal, it appears that the tail is of infinite service in preserving the proper balance of the 

 body while the creature is flying through mid-air in its extraordinary leaps ; for in proportion 

 as the tail was shortened, the power of leaping diminished, and when it was entirely removed, 

 the animal was afraid to leap at all. Such truncated specimens were almost deprived of all 

 power of locomotion, for they could never preserve their balance as they rose upon their 

 hinder feet, but rolled over on their backs. As the Gerboa rises from one of its huge bounds 

 for the purpose of commencing a second leap, it curves its tail into the peculiar form which is 

 represented in the engraving, but straightens it in its aerial course. 



The Gerboa is a burrowing animal, and lives in society, so that it forms large natural 

 "warrens" in those parts of the country where it takes up its residence. It is much hunted 

 by the natives, who set some store by its rather unpalatable flesh, and is captured by stopping 

 up as many burrows as can conveniently be reached, and killing the Gerboas as they rush 

 affrighted from the open entrances. This is, indeed, almost the only successful mode of cap- 

 turing these fleet and agile creatures ; for if they can once leap away from the immediate 

 vicinity of their pursuers, they scour over the ground with sucli wonderful speed that they 

 can hardly be overtaken even by a trained greyhound. 



Dry and sandy spots are in greatest favor with the Gerboa, which is better able to dig in 

 such soils than in moist situations. Against the injurious effects of the hard and burning 



