ZOOLOGY. 555 
We caught two of them, a 
chief points of difference from the common rat in external charac- 
ters, are in the color, which is bluish, the feet and belly and throat 
a white, the coat which is of soft fur and the tail also thinly furred, 
: while the common or Norway rat is gray or brown, and covered 
with rough hair. The cave rat is possessed of dark black eyes, of 
the size of a rabbit’s eye and entirely without iris ; the feelers also 
neommonly long. We have satisfied ourselves that he is 
entirely blind when first caught, although his eyes are so large 
and lustrous. By keeping them, however, in captivity and diffuse 
light, they gradually appeared to attain some power of vision. 
hey feed on apples and bread, but will not at present touch 
animal food. There is no evidence that the cave rats ever visit 
they were or were not found there by the persons who first entered 
glance satisfied us that it is quite safe to estimate them by millions. 
ese gloomy and silent regions where there is neither change 
of temperature nor difference of light to warn the revolv- 
ing seasons, how ey know when to seek again the outer air 
` Dur Orossum.— This species of marsupial, seems to be widely 
: distributed in every portion of the United States. Its original 
_.  Bame in the Choctaw language is ‘¢shookhutta” ; which signifies 
that he is the father or rather the originator of allhogs. It is not 
very swift of foot, neither is it very wild. I haye frequently, 
When hunting in the woods, passed within a few steps of them 
and they did not seem to regard me. Our turkey buzzards have 
Somehow found it out, and will alight near where they find the 
