i6o 



The Living Animals of the World 



by tlie various species of Bandicoot. They 

 are found througlioat Soutliern Asia as far 

 as Ceylon, and in Kashmir and Turkestan. 

 The Bandk'oot-rat of India is a large and 

 destructive species which is sometimes 

 brought to the London docks in ships, but 

 has not spread into the country. 



Other jMurine Rodents. 

 Among the numerous other rodents 

 allied to the rat group are the JMole-Rats, 

 with short mole-like bodies. The largest 

 is the Great Mole-rat, found in South- 

 eastern Europe, South-western Asia, and 

 North-eastern Africa. It is a subterranean 

 creature, burrowing for food like a mole. 

 The Bamboo-rats have minute eyes, small 

 external ears, and a short tail partly 

 covered with hair. In Somaliland a small, 

 almost naked Sand-rat is found, which burrows in the sand of the desert, throwing up little 

 heaps like mole-hills. 



The Gophers. 



In North and Central America the Pocket-uopheus form a curious group of small rodents 

 with cheek-pouches opening on the outside. They spend their entire existence underground, 

 and are said to use their incisor teeth as picks to open the hard earth in their tunnels. They 

 p)ush the loosened soil out by pressing it with their chests and fore feet. When a gopher has 

 eaten enough to satisfy the immediate calls of hunger, it stores all spare food away in the 

 large cheek-pouches. When gophers desire to empty the jiouches, they pass their feet along 

 their cheeks from behind, and press the food forwards on to the ground. 



FUolo hi/ A. .s: RaUtaud <1- .^vn^. 



PORCUPINE. 



This plincngr.aph shous the .arrangement f)f the porcupine's defence of 

 spines ; bnt when frightened it erects these, so us to form a complete protection 

 to tlje body. 



The Jerboas, Springhaas, and Jumping-.mice. 

 The hopping rodents have 



J'IkiI.i I, II ]V. ]'. Da.uljjj 



[liajeats Park 



VlSCilCHA. 

 TIio viscacha forms colonies like those of the prairie-dofrs. 

 found on the pamjjaa south of the La Plata. 



immense range, from Southern Europe, through Africa, 

 Arabia, India, and Ceylon, and even in the New 

 World, where the American Jumping-mouse is 

 found throughout the northern part of the con- 

 tinent. The latter is only 3 inches long. The 

 true Jerboas are mainly found in Africa. All 

 these, when excited, move like kangaroos. Their 

 main liome is the Central Asian stejope region, 

 but they are found in Egypt, India, Syria, and 

 Arabia. The hind legs aie much elongated, the 

 fore legs very small, and the body usually of a 

 sandy colour. The American jumping-mouse, 

 though a very small creature, can co\er from 3 to 

 5 feet at each leap. It inhabits the beech and 

 hard-wood forests. In winter it makes a globular 

 nest about 6 inches under the surface of the ground. 

 The Cape Jumping-haue forms a family 

 by itself, with no near allies. It is of a tawny 

 brown colour, becoming almost pure white below. 



