SONGAR. 
I 
In naming this little animal, we have no 
exactly followed any of the Naturalists. 
feel an inconsistency, in applying the name o 
Rat, to an animal only three inches in length 
whatever may be it's affinity to that tribe : and! : 
though Mr. Kerr's expedient of denominatin^l ' 
it the Songar Hamster, founded on the acj 
knowledged similarity in most other respect! 
except the size, may seem to have somewhc 
less of impropriety, we deem it far better t 
call it merely the Songar; leaving cverv on 
to consider it, either as a Mouse, or a Rai 
agreeably to their respective opinions on th 
subject. 
We naay, here, be perrnitted to remark, th 
there is, perhaps, too little discriminatioii 
among the systematic naturalists, between til 
various species of the Rat and the Mice tribe 
To an English ear, at least, the w\ord Rat coil 
veys an idea of proportionate magnitude, am 
that of Mouse, of minuteness, which it wo\ 
be difEciilr, if it were necessary, for scicntij 
language enlirely to banish irom the mind : }t 
the ^ma^!er of these animals are sometimes namj 
Rats, and the larger, Mice; without any app 
re 
