86 MOUNTAIN FAUNAS 



The very aberrant and somewhat primitive ungulates 

 called hyraces (Procavia) show some interesting features 

 as regards adaptation to mountain Mfe. All are small 

 animals, very like rodents in appearance and habits, 

 and resembling most of those animals also in their 

 helplessness and want of swiftness. When small herbi- 

 vores cannot defend themselves actively, cannot escape 

 by flight, and cannot burrow, only two possible means 

 of escaping their enemies remain. These are to haunt 

 rocky country where the fallen stones and blocks offer 

 natural shelter, or to seek the trees. Both methods are 

 adopted by the hyraces. The common hyrax of Syria 

 gets its name of rock coney from its habit of frequent- 

 ing rocks, where it pops in and out of the crevices as 

 a rabbit pops in and out of its burrow. As rocky 

 country is more frequent in mountainous regions than 

 elsewhere, we find that the ground hyraces usually 

 occur in elevated districts, though frequenting suitable 

 ground elsewhere in addition. They have four well- 

 developed toes on the fore foot, and three on the hind, 

 and the size of the feet, with the spreading toes, enables 

 them to scramble about rocks very easily. The tree 

 hyraces, without any notable difference in structure, 

 show a marked difference in habit in that they live 

 entirely among trees, in which they feed, breed, and 

 sleep. Being relatively hardy they occur at great 

 elevations, e. g. at from 7,000 to 1 1,000 feet in the forests 

 of Kilimanjaro. In both the ground and tree forms, 

 those attaining a great elevation seem to differ chiefly 

 in their thicker coats. All the hyraces are confined to 

 Africa and the adjacent regions, e.g. Syria and Arabia. 



Among the true rodents we find, as already indicated, 

 many moimtain species. In the consideration of steppe 

 faunas something was said of marmots (Arctomys), 



