B11NI> MOLE RAT, 
n 
to near the tail ; the tail, near one inch long, is white* 
marked with a dusky line. 
They inhabit the sandy plain of Baraba, towards 
the Qby ; and about the lake Dalai, in the Chinese 
empire. 
Bund mole rat. 
This rat has a great head, broader than the 
body, and not the least aperture for eyes ; yet be* 
meath the skin are found what may be called the 
rudiments of those organs, though not larger than 
the seed of a poppy. It has no external ears ; the 
end of its nose is covered with a thick skin ; its 
nostrils are remote and placed below ; its mouth 
gapes, and the teeth are exposed ; those above are 
short ; the lower ones are very long, and their 
ends arc quite uneven ; its body is cylindrical ; 
its limbs short ; it has five toes on each foot, with 
short claws ; its hair is short, thick, and soft ; 
dusky at the bottom, grey above, white about the 
mouth and nose. It is between seven and eight 
inches long. A male one will weigh above eight 
ounces. 
It inhabits the southern parts of Russia, from 
Poland to the Wolga. It delights in moist and 
turfy soils. The earth it throws up in hillocks 
of two yards in circumference. It works with 
great agility. On any apprehension of an enemy, 
it forms instantly a perpendicular burrow. Its bite 
is very severe. When irritated, it snorts and 
gnashes its teeth, but emits no cry. It often quits 
its hole, especially in the morning, and during 
the amorous season, along with the female, to 
bask in the sun. In Ukraine, the vulgar believe 
thatthe touch of a hand which has suffocated this 
animal, ha3 the same virtue in curing the king’s- 
