7^ LEMMING RAT. 



hairy, but not so well covered as that of the water 

 rat. This animal resides in watery places and 

 about gardens at Strasburgh, and is said to be 

 very destructive to the plants in cultivated 

 grounds. It swims and dives extremely well;, 

 and also burrows occasionally under ground. 



' LEMMING RAT. 



Mus Lemmus. M. bracjiyurus, aiirkulis vcllere hreviorihuSj pal- 



7nis pentadactylis, corpore fidto nigro alboque vario, siibtus albo. 



Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1^6. 

 Short' tailed Rat, with ears shorter than the fur, pentadactylous 



fore-feet, and body white beneath, variegated above with 



black, white, and fulvous. 

 Mus Cauda abbreviafa, pedibus pentadactylis, corpore fulvo nigro- 



tario. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 80. 

 Lemmus. Gesn. Quadr. p. 731. 



Bestiola Leem dicta. Aldr. dig. p, 436. Jonst. p. 168. 

 Leming. Buf. 13. p. 314. 

 Lemmus. Pennant Quadr. 2. p. 198. 



The wonderful migrations of this species have 

 long rendered it celebrated in the annals of na- 

 tural history : it is remarkable^ however, that no 

 accurate figure of it was published till Dr. Pallas 

 caused it to be engraved in his excellent work on 

 the Glires. 



The first describer of the Lemming seems to have 

 been Olaus Magnus, from whom several of the 

 older naturalists have copied their accounts. Af- 

 terwards Wormius gave a more particular descrip- 

 tion ; since which, Ricaut, in the Philosophical 



