MAMMALIA. GLIRES. Jerboa. 273 



Mus jaculus, or Leaping Moufe, with a long tail tufted at the end, four toes, and the rudiments 

 of a fifth, on each fore foot, very long hind legs, and very fhort fore legs. Syft. nat. ed. xii. i. 85. 

 n. 20. Muf. ad. Fr. ii. 9. Forfkal, Faun, orient. 4. Haffelq. It. 198. Aft. Stock. 1752, 123. t. 4. 

 f. 1. Aft.Upf. 1750, 17. Pallas, Glir. 87. n. 27. t. xx. Gefn. quad. 837 — Mus montanus. Moncon. 

 iEgypt. 288.— Cuniculus pumilio faliens, or Dwarf Leaping Coney, with a very long tail. J. G. 

 Gmel. Nov. com. Petrop. 1760, v. 351. t. 9. f. 1. Muf. Petrop. i. 344. n. 123.— Lepus, S. Cuni- 

 culus indicus, Indian Coney, or Hare, named Utias. Aldrov. dig. 395.— Jerboa, Gerboa, Daman 

 Ifrael, Agnus filiorum ifrael, or Lamb of the children of Ifrael. Profp. Alp. iEgypt. 232. Shaw, 

 trav. 248. 376. — Egyptian, and Siberian Jerboa. Penn. hift. of quad. n. 291. and 292. — Jerboa, 

 Gerboife, or Yerboa, and Alagtaga. Sm. Buff. vii. 201. and 202.— Jerboa. Bruce, Abyffin. v. 121. 

 and fig.— Lepus longicaudatus, or Long-tailed Hare. Syft. nat. ed. ix. n. 4. — Erdhaufe. S. G. 

 Gmelin, It. i. 26. t. 2. 



Inhabits Egypt, Arabia, Calmuck Tartary, and fouthern Siberia. — Frequents firm, hard ground, 

 and fields covered with grafs and herbs ; forms burrows of feveral yards long in a winding direftion, 

 leading to a large chamber about half a yard below the furface ; from this a fecond paflage is dug to 

 within a very little way of the furface, by which they can efcape when threatened with danger. When 

 at reft thev fit with their hind legs bent under their belly, and keep the fore legs fo near the throat 

 as hardly to be perceptible. They are not much afraid of mankind, and yet can fcarce be thoroughly 

 tamed ; they feed on roots, grafs, wheat, and other grains ; and it is certain that thofe which inhabit 

 Siberia cut grafs before winter, which, having dried, they colleft into roundifh heaps, and carry into 

 their holes, to ferve as winter provifion. The flefh is eaten by the Calmucks and Arabs. The body 

 is fomewhat more than feven inches long ; the hind legs and naked thighs are three times as long as 

 the fore legs, and even longer than the body, the tail is ten inches long, of a pale tawny colour, and 

 round for three quarters of its length, the laft quarter is tufted with long hair difpofed flat like that 

 of the Squirrel, the firft half of the tuft being black, and the outer half white. The upper parts of 

 the body are of a pale tawny colour, and the under parts white ; the ears and feet are flefh coloured ; 

 the female has eight diftantly placed teats, 



2. Arabian Jerboa.— 2. Dlpus Sagitta. 2. 



Has three toes on the hind feet, and has no thumb or fifth toe on the forepaws. 

 Schreber, iv. t. ccxxix. 



Mus fagitta. Pallas, Glir. 87. t. xxi. D°. It. ii. 706. 



Inhabits Arabia, and near the Irtifh in Siberia — This animal frequents fandy plains; it is only about 

 fix inches long, and the tail, which is fcarcely fo long as the body, is terminated with a finaller tuft 

 than that of the preceding animal; the thighs are likewife thinner and lefs flefhy, and the foles of the 

 hind feet and bottom of the toes are covered with a very thick coat of hair; the head is more round- 

 ed; and the ears are much longer than the head. 



The Jerboa is evidently the M«s Sit*; of the Greeks, and Mus bipes of the Roman writers. In the 

 account of thefe two fpecies, I have implicitly followed Dr Gmelin, without endeavouring to recon- 

 cile the difcrepancies between him and Mr Pennant, becaufe even that celebrated naturalift feerns not 

 perfeftly clear in his lubdivifion of the genus, fo far as thefe laft mentioned animals, the Egyptian, 

 Siberian, and Arabian Jerboas, are concerned : That there are diftinftions fuffkient, at leaft, for eita- 



Vol. I. M m blifhing 



