500 



MAMMALIA. 



ferrets being frequently employed as an auxiliary to drive it from 

 the depths of its warren (Fig. 219). 



The Rabbit is peculiar to the Old "World. Those animals 

 found in America resembling it are, properly speaking, Hares. 



Lagomys. — The Lagomys (Hare-Rats, from Aayws, a hare, 

 and iJLvs, a rat) differ from the other LeporidaB in their round 



219.-FeiTeting Babbits. 



slender ears, their short limbs, the absence of a tail, and their 

 diminutive size. In their habits they much resemble the Rabbits. 

 They inhabit steep mountains, and dig burrows among the rocks. 

 The majority of known species are proper to Siberia ; one is found 

 in the Rocky Mountains of America. 



_ The most interesting is the Lagomys pilm. This animal collects 

 into societies in the months of August or September, and gathers 



