THE GERBOA. 
487 
SPRING HAAS .— Pedetes caffer. 
fore legs there are five toes, which are armed with powerful claws, by means of which the 
animal digs its burrows, while the hinder feet are only furnished with four toes, each of 
which is tipped with a long and rather sharply pointed claw. 
The Jerboidse find their best type in the common Gerboa of Northern Africa. 
This beautiful and active little animal is hardly larger than an ordinary English rat, 
although its peculiar attitudes and its extremely long tail give it an appearance of greater 
dimensions than it really possesses. The general color of its fur is a light dun, w r ashed with 
yellow, the abdomen being nearly white. The tail is of very great proportionate length, is 
cylindrical in shape, and tufted at its extremity with stiff black hairs, the extreme tip being 
white. From various experiments that have been made upon this member and its use to the 
animal, it appears that the tail is of infinite service in preserving the proper balance of the 
body while the creature is flying through mid-air in its extraordinary leaps ; for in proportion 
as the tail was shortened, the power of leaping diminished, and when it was entirely removed, 
the animal was afraid to leap at all. Such truncated specimens were almost deprived of all 
power of locomotion, for they could never preserve their balance as they rose upon their 
hinder feet, but rolled over on their backs. As the G-erboa rises from one of its huge bounds 
for the purpose of commencing a second leap, it curves its tail into the peculiar form which is 
represented in the engraving, but straightens it in its aerial course. 
The Gerboa is a burrowing animal, and lives in society, so that it forms large natural 
“ warrens” in those parts of the country where it takes up its residence. It is much hunted 
by the natives, who set some store by its rather unpalatable flesh, and is captured by stopping 
up as many burrows as can conveniently be reached, and killing the Gerboas as they rush 
affrighted from the open entrances. This is, indeed, almost the only successful mode of cap- 
turing these fleet and agile creatures ; for if they can once leap away from the immediate 
vicinity of their pursuers, they scour over the ground with such wonderful speed that they 
can hardly be overtaken even by a trained greyhound. 
Dry and sandy spots are in greatest favor with the Gerboa, which is better able to dig in 
such soils than in moist situations. Against the injurious effects of the hard and burning 
