BLIND RAT. 109 



backward. There is scarce any distinction be- 

 tween the head and neck, and the whole form of 

 the animal, like that of the mole, is calculated for 

 a subterraneous life ; the body being cylindric, 

 the limbs very short, and the feet and claws, 

 though small and weak in comparison with those 

 of moles, yet calculated for digging or burrowing 

 in the ground. The colour of the animal is a 

 greyish brown ; the fur, which is very thick, soft, 

 and downy, being dusky toward the roots, and 

 greyish toward the tips : the head is lighter, and 

 the abdomen darker than the other parts : the 

 lower lip is also whitish, and sometimes a white 

 mark extends along the forehead : the front- 

 teeth are very large, and are naturally bare or 

 exserted : the lower pair being much longer than 

 the upper. This singular species is a native of 

 the southern parts of Russia, where it burrows to 

 a great extent beneath the surface, forming se- 

 veral lateral passages, by which it may pass in 

 quest of roots, &c. It is said to feed in particu- 

 lar on the roots of the Chcerophyllum bulbosum. 

 In the morning hours it sometimes quits its hole 

 to bask in the sunshine, and if disturbed, instant- 

 ly takes refuge beneath the surface ; burrowing 

 with great agility, and frequently in a perpendi- 

 cular direction. Its bite is very severe when at- 

 tacked. It has no voice, but emits a kind of 

 snorting sound, and gnashes its large teeth in a 

 menacing manner, raising its head at the same 

 time. The female is said to produce from two to 

 four young. 



