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Show 1877.] REV. CANON TRISTRAM ON ELIOMYS MELANURUS. 41 Explorers are well content if they can by great good fortune trap or shoot a chance specimen ; but it is impossible for them to note, still less to study, the habits of these most interesting creatures. The inexorable fate of the eastern traveller is similar to that of the victim of the police. He must be always moving on. Yet with all these difficulties to contend against, I have obtained in those regions no less than 26 species of the smaller Glires, of the families Spalacini, Murini, Merionides, Dipodidce, Arvicolini, Mijoxini, omitting altogether Squirrels, Hares, &c. I am satisfied that this list could be very largely increased with time and opportunity ; for Ihave myself observed many species which I could not succeed in capturing, especially Dormice and Hamsters. One might be easily accused of exaggeration in describing the countless numbers of holes and burrows in regions which for a great part of the year present the appearance of utter desert. Sometimes for miles a district has the appearance of one vast warren of pygmy rabbit-burrows ; and yet for days, saving the bounding of a Jerboa here and there before one's horse, not a trace of rodent-life is to be seen. It is true very many of the holes are occupied by the various species of Chat (Saxicolince); but I have good evidence for believing that these birds only utilize existing burrows, from the fact that in digging out their nests, I have found traces of the original builders in the shape of their excreta, and also runs which had manifestly not been used by the birds. Of the many species we have procured, I have had favourable opportunities of noting the habits of only one or two. One of these, Acomys dimidiatus, a beautiful little isabel-coloured Mouse, with the coat of a Hedgehog, I watched for an hour or two among bare gravel near the Dead Sea. Its colour so perfectly harmonized with the pebbles that I could not have detected it had I not caught its eye as it was nibbling a root, puffed out like a little ball. As it ate, its quills lay smoothly back; but when it began, as it soon did, to scrape into the sand, its bristles were erect. Its food on this occasion was the bulb of a small crocus. This- explains the vast number of these various Rodents in this apparent desert. The larger proportion of the plants arejjulbous or tuberous ; and after a nine months' utter barrenness, the first winter rains soon carpet the waste with a brilliant spangling of bulbous flowers-crocus, iris, squills, asphodels, cyclamens, and others. Their glory is soon over; but the large succulent roots remain, retaining their moisture through the summer, and thus affording abundant nutriment to the little burrowers. I much regret that we were singularly unfortunate in our attempts to shoot or trap one Rodent, which puzzled us much. It abounded on the uplands of Moab ; and I have not noticed it elsewhere. It seemed not much smaller than a rabbit, and lived in colonies, never coming out till sunset. Soon afterwards one might hear rapidly reanswering cries, like a faint squeaking bark, and the little creatures were perched each at the mouth of a burrow, down which they disappeared instantaneously on the least alarm. It was in vain to attempt to dig for them, as the burrows were among the |