500 
MAMMALIA, 
ferrets being frequently employed as an auxiliary to drive it from 
the depths of its warren (Fig. 219). 
The. Rabbit is peculiar to the Old World. Those animals 
found in America resembling it are, properly speaking, Hares. 
Lagomys . — The Lagomys (Hare-Rats, from Aayws, a hare, 
and pis, a rat) differ from the other Leporidse in their round 
Fig. 219.— Ferreting Eabbits. 
slender ears, their short limbs, the absence of a tail, and their 
diminutive size. In their habits they much resemble the Rabbits. 
They inhabit steep mountains, and dig burrows among the rocks. 
The majority of known species are proper to Siberia ; one is found 
in the Rocky Mountains of America. 
. The most interesting is the Lagomys pika. This animal collects 
into societies in the months of August or September, and gathers 
