486 
THE GERBOA 
LAGOTIS . — Lagotis cuvieri. 
The GtEeboas bear a curious resemblance to the kangaroos, not only in their general 
appearance, but in many of their habits. Like those animals, they leap over distances which 
are absolutely enormous when the size of their bodies is taken into consideration, they con- 
stantly sit upright in order to observe surrounding objects, their food is of the same nature, 
and they carry it to their mouths in a similar manner. Their fore-limbs are extremely short, 
while the hinder legs and feet are developed to a very great extent, and they are all furnished 
with a long, hair-clad tail, which serves to aid them in preserving their balance while shooting 
through the air. 
One of the most familiar of these leaping rodents is the Speing Haas, or Cape Geeboa, 
sometimes called, from its hare-like aspect, the Cape Leaping Haee. 
It is a native of Southern Africa, and is found in considerable numbers upon the sides of 
mountains, where it inhabits certain burrows which it tunnels for itself in the ground. It 
prefers sandy ground for the locality of its habitation, and associates together in great pro 
fusion in favorable spots, so that the earth is completely honeycombed with its burrows. 
Being a nocturnal animal, it is rarely seen by daylight, seldom leaving its stronghold as long 
as the sun is above the horizon. The natives, who set some value on its flesh, take advantage 
of this habit, and being sure of finding the Spring Haas at home during the daytime, take their 
measures accordingly. Placing a sentinel at the mouth of the burrow, they force the inmate 
to evacuate the premises by pouring a deluge of water into the hole, and as it rushes into the 
open air, it is seized or struck down by the ready hand of the sentinel. 
Like the kangaroos, the Spring Haas prefers rough and rocky ground to a smooth soil, 
and displays such wonderful agility as it leaps from spot to spot, that it can baffle almost 
any foe by its mere power of jumping. At a single leap this creature will compass . a space 
of twenty or thirty feet, and is able to continue these extraordinary bounds for a great dis- 
tance. It is rather a mischievous animal, as, like the common hare, it is in the habit of 
making nocturnal raids upon the corn-fields and gardens, and escaping safely to its subter- 
ranean burrow before the sunrise. 
With the exception of shorter ears, and the elongated hinder limbs, the Spring Haas is 
not unlike our common hare. The fur is of a dark fawn, or reddish-brown, perceptibly 
tinged with yellow on the upper parts, and fading into grayish-white beneath. In texture 
it is very similar to that of the hare. The tail is about as long as the body, and is heavily 
covered with rather stiff hairs, which at the extremity are of a deep black hue. Upon the 
