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Show 144 MAMMALIA. Fewer speci· es h a ve been obse1·ved of the size o. f the Mouse.. M. . ca1tt t• rl• n us , Geoff. ' Descr. de l'Eg. Maf mm.i f. (Th.e Cauo ) S · on the back in place o ha1rs-not1ced by ~ouse. pines Aristotle. . . One spec1· es on ly is known in .F rance that does not reside 1.n h M. sylvaticus. (Field Mouse.) Buff. VII, xh, houses, t e d · d' · · h which is hardly larger than the Mouse, an IS 1stmgu1s ed from it by its red fur. It does much lnjury to trees, and some-times penetrates into gardens. . . I t seems, howevel.' that in some of the provmces the.r e 1s a smaller and grey species, which has also been obser;ed m Eng-la~ d, (M. messorius, Shaw, Vol. II_, Part 1, Frontlsp.) .and a third still more diminutive (M. pumllus, Fr. Cuv .. Mamm1f.).(1) Warm climates produce Rats, similar in every ~artl~ular to those of which we have just spoken, except that their tails are more hairy .(2) GERBILLus, Desm.-MERIONES, Illig. The Gerbils have molars that differ very little from those of Rats, merely becoming sooner worn, so as to form transverse_ ele;ations. Their superior incisors are furrowed with a groove; the1r hmd feet (1) To this division, most probably, belong theM. agrarius, M. minutm, M. 80 ' ricinus M. vagus M. betulinus, M. striatus, M. barbarus, Schreb. Here' also shou' ld come the enormous Mus giganteus, Hard w. Lm· n. T rans. VII • xxviii. 1i There should be likewise added the M pumilio, Sparm. theM. cyanus, Mo na, and several other species, some of which are not even mentioned by authors, and others which are described with too little comparison. This is the reason why most of the Rats of Azzara cannot be properly classed until they are re-examm· e d· Th.e same observation applies to a great many of the Rodentia of M. Rafinesque. Thell' descriptions are too short to be of any use. . h (2) Hypurkus variegatus, Lichtenst. var. flava.-Meriones syenensis, Id. towhtc must be added the .llrvicola messor, Le Conte, .llrv. lwrtcnsis, Harl. or Sygmodtm' Say, distinguished however by hairy ears, like the Otomys. . . Another group, with hairy tails also, but whose teeth wear away faster, Will tn· elude the Hypudwus obesus, Lichtenst. the Mus ru.ficaudatus, Id. His Meritm£8 at· riceus should form a third, characterized by the projecting ridges of the molars, which alternately catch in each other. . 'tfp, We then have to group the Neotoma jloridanwm of Say, or the .IJ.rvico/a Jlori nus of Harlan, and the .llrvicola gossypina, Le Conte, two Rats which, size excepted, are very similar even in their colours, whose teeth, provided with roots, if worn a little, have crowns formed like those of the Arvicola. These animals, however, previous to a definite classification, require to be com; pletely examined and compared, internally as well as without. [See .llppend. L nf.llm. Ed.] RODENTIA. 145 are somewhat longer in proportion than those of Rats in general and their thumb and little toe slightly separated. Their tail is Ion~ and hairy. The sandy and warm parts of the eastern continent produce several species. G. indicus; Dipus indicus, Hardw., Linn. Trans. VIII 1 v.n. ; He n.n e, F red • Cuv. Mammif. (The India Gerbil.) ' Sipze. of_ the fat Dormouse; fawn coloured above, whitish beneath; ta1l longer than the body, and blackish at the end. To this species should be approximated the G .. meridian~s;. IJ. meridianus, Schreb. 231. (The Torrid Gerbil.) Which IS about the same colour, but a little smaller. G. tamaricinus; IJ. tamaricinus, Schreb. 232. (The Tamarisk Gerbil.) The tail is annulated with brown. G. pyramidum; IJ. pyramidum, Oliv. (The Gerbil of the Pyramids.) The hind feet more elongated ; size of the fat Dormouse; red above, whitish beneath. . There is one in Senegal of a livelier red and a purer white. Another at the Cape a little larger, reddish, and the tailless hairy at the end. A third in Nubia, about half the size, of a light red above, and a beautiful white beneath. The MERIONEs, Fred. Cuv. _Which we separate from the other Gerbils, have the hind feet still l~nger; the tail nearly naked, and a very small tooth before the superior molars; characters which approximate them to the Jerboas. Their upper incisors are grooved like those of the Gerbils and their toes also are similar. There is a small species in N ort~ America, the Mus canadensis, Penn.; Dipus canadensis, Sh. II, part 1, pl. 161; Dipus americanus, Barton. Size of a Mouse; fawn coloured grey; tail longer than the body. A very active animal that shuts itself up in its burrow, and passes the winter in : state of lethargy. ( 1) CRIOETus, Cu v. ~he Hamsters have nearly the same kind of teeth as Rats. but h their tail is short and hairy, and the two sides of their mouth are ollowed · t h . . . Ill o sacs or c eek pouches, m wh1ch they transport the gram they collect to their subterraneous abodes. C. vulgaris; M. Cricetus, L.; Marmotte d'.!lllemagne, ~c.; (l) A~ Gerbilluslabradorius, Harl., or M. labrad., Sabine, Frankl. Voy. p. 661. OL. I.-T |
