COMMON JERBOA. U9 



divided lengthwise by a groove in the middle ; 

 the lower ones longer, convex externally, pointed 

 at their extremity, and bent inwards : the muzzle 

 is short, wide, and obtuse ; a number of stiff hairs 

 grow out on each side, and form long whiskers : 

 the nose is white, bare, and cartilaginous: the iris 

 of its large and projecting eye is brown : the ears 

 long, large, and covered with hair, so short that 

 they appear naked except on very close inspec- 

 tion : externally they are white in the lower part, 

 and grey upwards : the middle, as well as the 

 sides of the head, is of a very light fawn-colour, 

 mixed with grey and black : they entirely sur- 

 round the meatus auditorius for about a third of 

 their length, so that they exactly resemble the 

 larger end of a cone : this conformation must en- 

 crease the animal's faculty of hearing, and is par- 

 ticularly well calculated to defend the inner part 

 of the organ from the extraneous substances that 

 might lodge there : the body is short ; well pro- 

 vided with long, soft, silky hair : that which co- 

 vers the back and sides is of an ash-colour through- 

 out almost the whole of its length, and of a light 

 fawn-colour where it approaches the points, which 

 are black ; but as the ash-coloured part is not 

 visible, it may be said that the fur is fawn-colour- 

 ed, with blackish zigzag stripes : these tints, 

 which are somewhat dusky, form an agreeable 

 contrast with the fine white of the belly : the 

 fore-legs are so short that they scarcely extend 

 beyond the hair : they are white, and have five 

 toes ; the inner one of which is short, rounded at 



