332 



THE RODENTS OR GNAWING ANIMALS. 



hand, they are extremely fond of liquids of a more 

 substantial character and often exercise great in- 

 genuity in obtaining access to them. They destroy 

 much more than they eat, and hence are among the 

 most detested plagues of mankind. A few of them 

 are harmless, innocent animals, and have found favor 

 in our sight by reason of their graceful movements, 

 symmetrical shape and prepossessing habits. These 

 exceptions are principally found among the archi- 

 tects of the family. They construct the most ingen- 

 ious nests of any of the inferior mammals and do not 

 annoy Man much, as their numbers are few and they 

 commit little depredation when seeking food. Some 

 species that mhabit cold and temperate countries, 

 hibernate and store away winter provisions; others 

 temporarily migrate in immense numbers, their wan- 

 derings usually leading them to their death. 



Few species are capable of domestication. Only 

 a very small number are tractable, or responsive to 

 kindness. The others, even after long captivity and 

 continued efforts for their reclamation, remain but 

 treacherous creatures, addicted to biting and badly 

 repaying the friendship and care bestowed upon 

 them. Mice are never really useful; for even though 

 the skin of a few species may be employed for vari- 

 ous purposes or the flesh of other species eaten, 

 the benefit derived from both of these uses is not 

 worthy of consideration in comparison with the 

 extreme harmfulness of the entire family. 



RUNNING MICE. 



The Running Mice (^Merionidince) are separated 

 from the rest as a distinct sub-family. 



They are confined in habitat to Africa, southern 

 Asia and southeastern Europe. They preferably in- 

 habit cultivated districts, but are also found in the 

 most arid plains and steppes, often in extraordinary 

 numbers. The majority dig rather shallow, under- 

 ground burrows in which they spend the day. Their 

 movements are exceedingly quick and some are said 

 to be able to make jumps of considerable length. 



On account of the devastations which the Meri- 

 onidinae cause in the fields, they are detested and 

 pursued to extermination by the inhabitants of those 

 countries which they infest, as are Rats with us. 



The Sand Rat, The Sand Rat {Psammomys obesus) 

 Common in attains about the same size as the 

 Egypt. Common Brown Rat, but its tail is 



much shorter, measuring only five inches, the, total 

 length of the animal being nearly thirteen inches. 

 The upper parts are of a ruddy sand color, sprinkled 

 with black; the flanks and under surface are light 

 yellow. - 



In Egypt this Mouse is seen in the sandy parts 

 of the desert, being particularly frequent on the 

 mounds of rubbish which surround all the cities of 

 the land, of the Pharaohs. It burrows out rather 

 deep, branching tunnels and passages, preferably 

 under and between the low shrubs and the few 

 creeping plants, which afford its habitation a scanty 

 covering and at the same time give it its daily food. 

 As it is not nocturnal in its habits and often emerges 

 from its burrow during the daytime, one can easily 

 observe it. Frequently ten to fifteen are seen frisk- 

 ing about, playing with one another or nibbling at a 

 plant. The Sand Rat is one of the prettiest of the 

 Rodents. It can easily be domesticated and be- 

 comes very tame, leaves its cage, runs fearlessly 

 about in the presence of Man, and suffers itself to 

 be handled without exhibiting any vicious propensi- 

 ties. Its large and not very prominent eyes and its 



beautiful fur contribute much to the agreeable im- 

 pression it produces on the spectator; even its tail> 

 with its close fur and black tuft at the tip, is quite 

 ornamental. 



THE MICE PROPER. 



The real types of the family, the Mice proper 

 {MurincB), are only too well and too widely knowa 

 in respect to their habits and their activity. To' 

 them belong those species which have spread all 

 over the globe in the wake of Man and are at pres- 

 ent established on even the most remote islands. 

 This migration of the animals over the world took 

 place not so very long ago; in many localities the 

 year in which they first made their appearance is- 

 yet within memory of living Men; but nowadays, 

 they have completed their tour around the world.. 

 Nowhere is Man grateful to them for the unalter- 

 able attachment they exhibit towards his persoa 

 and his home ; everywhere he detests and pur- 

 sues them without mercy and resorts to all kinds 

 of devices to rid himself ' of them: and still their 

 predilection remains unchanged, and they cling to 

 him more persistently than a Dog or any other 

 animal. Unfortunately these tenacious domestic 

 friends are detestable thieves which know how to 

 insinuate themselves anywhere with the help of 

 their rascally tools, and cause their host nothing but 

 damage and loss. This is the reason why all true. 

 Mice are stigmatized as ugly, nasty animals, though 

 in reality they are by no means such, but it must, on 

 the contrary, be confessed that they are good-look- 

 ing, graceful and pretty creatures. 



The Distinctiue Even in common parlance we distin- 



Features of Rats guish two main groups, the Rats and 



and Mice. the Mice, and science adopts this ^ 



distinction. The Rats are the clumsier and uglier 



forms, the Mice the lighter and daintier ones. The- 



tail of the former shows between two hundred and 



two hundred and sixty scaly rings, the tail of the 



latter only between one hundred and twenty and 



one hundred and eighty, the feet of the first are.- 



thick and stout, those of the second slender and deli- 



. cate, and the full-grown Rats are considerably larger 



than their more prepossessing relatives. 



Original We may assume with tolerable safety- 

 Homeofthe that the Rats which at present are 

 Rats. settled in Europe, were not origi- 



nally indigenous to the continent, but immigrated. 

 In the works of the ancients there is only one place 

 in which it is probable that the animals mentioned 

 were identical with our Rats; and in this one in- 

 stance it is not clear which species were meant by 

 Amyntas, whose accounts are quoted by yElian. It 

 has been proven that the Black Rat appeared first 

 in Germany and other parts of Europe; it was fol- 

 lowed by the Brown Rat and then quite recently by 

 the Egyptian Rat {Jlliis a/exandrinus). The Brown 

 Rat, however, being the strongest of all, drove out 

 and almost exterminated the other species and has 

 obtained supremacy nearly everywhere. Let us 

 hope that we may not have to deal with other mem- 

 bers of the family, which are given to migration, 

 and in particular that we will be spared the immi- 

 gration of the Hamster Rat {Mtis or Cricetomys gam- 

 bianus), which by far surpasses our Rats not only in 

 size but also in respect to its activity, and at pres- 

 ent worries the merchants of Zanzibar more than all 

 European Rats together. If that animal should elect 

 to visit us, then truly would we know what mischief 

 a Rat can accomplish! 



