1 62 



THE GNAWERS OR RODENTS. 



The Alactagas (Alactaga or Scirtetes) of | Africa, and its mode of life resembles that of 

 Asia have exactly the 

 habit of ordinary jer- 

 boas, but differ in not 

 having the three me- 

 tatarsal bones fused 

 together, and. in hav- 

 ing, besides the three 

 principal toes, two 

 side-toes which do not 

 touch the ground. 

 The species repre- 

 sented (fig. 219), the 

 Jtrmping-rabbit of Si- 

 beria {A. jaculus), is 

 nearly of the size of 

 a squirrel. It inhabits 

 the steppes of Asia 

 and European Russia. 



The Cape Jumping- 

 hare (Pedetes coffer), 

 fig. 220, resembles an 



■111 



Fig. 221. — Phillips's Pocket-mouse [Difodomys Philllpsii). 



the members of allied 

 genera. It also lives 

 in holes in the ground. 

 Its flesh is as highly 

 esteemed as that of 

 our own hare. 



A rather aberrant 

 genus is that of the 

 "Pocket-mice" of the 

 Americans (Dipodo- 

 mys), which are na- 

 tives of California and 

 Mexico, and in which 

 the possession of 

 cheek-pouches open- 

 ing externally by 

 lateral slits is added 

 to the general habit 

 of jerboas. The 

 pouches are situated 

 on both sides of the 



ordinary hare in the shape of its ears and the I mouth, and are haired on the interior. Phil- 

 colour of its fur, and 

 is of about the same 

 size; but its fore-legs 

 are stronger and the 

 hind-legs shorter 

 than in the allied 

 jumpers. The feet 

 are completely cov- 

 ered with hair and 

 have five free toes 

 furnished with hoof- 

 like nails. The long 

 tail is likewise com- 

 pletely covered with 

 hair. The four 

 cheek-teeth have 

 only a single enamel 

 fold, which in the 

 lower jaw runs in 

 from the interior and 

 in the upper from the 

 exterior. The jump- 



Fig. 222. — The Gopher (Geomys bursarid). 



ing-hare is a native of the steppes of Southern | group the Gopher {Geomys bursaria), fig. 222, 



lips's Pocket -mouse 

 [D. Phillipsii), fig. 

 221, lives in general 

 like the jerboas. Its 

 domain extends even 

 to Texas. It is 

 scarcely larger than 

 a mouse. 



A series of Ameri- 

 can genera in which 

 the difference in size 

 between the fore and 

 hind legs tends more 

 and more to disap- 

 pear, leads up to the 

 clumsy thickset forms 

 resembling the moles 

 in form, and posses- 

 sing three simple 

 cheek-teeth without 

 roots. We select as 

 representative of this 



