586 



ZOOLOGY. 



as a muskrat, is nocturnal in its liabits and, therefore, rarely 

 seen, and burrows in the earth, feeding on roots. 



The lowest in intelligence are, perhaps, the hares, rej)- 

 resented by the common varying hare {Lepus Ainerica- 

 ims Erxleben, Fig. 505), of which an interesting Tariety, 

 L. Bairdii, lives on the Aljiine summits of the Eocky Moun- 





Pig. 506— The Spalax or Blind Eat.— After Owen. 



tains. The largest of all existing rodents is the Capy- 

 bara of South America, which looks like a pig. This is 

 succeeded by the porcujiine, which either lives in trees or 

 burrows in the earth, while the more intelligent, active 

 forms are the beaver, muskrat, the European blind rat 

 [Sjialax, Fig. 50(J) the rats and mice, squirrels, and lastly 



the marmots. The domes- 

 tic mouse and the two rats, 

 the brown or A^orway rat 

 {Mus decimianus Pallas), 

 the black rat {Mus rattus 

 Linn.), and the common 

 house mouse {Mus muscv- 

 lus Linn.), are cosmopoli- 

 tan animals. The jumping 

 mouse (Fig. 507) has remarkably long hind legs and short 

 fore logs. Peculiar to the western plains is the prairie-dog, 

 {fhjnomys ludovirAanus) which represents the marmots of 

 the Old World ; it is semi-social and takes in perforce as 

 boarders the owl and rattlesnake, which devour its young. 



Fig. 507. — Jumping Mouse (Zajnus hnrl- 

 sonius). —From. Tennoy's Zoology, 



