. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. THE GERBILLES 475 tion, and the lower incisors are worn to needle-like points. The two molars are excessively minute, and thus the always large gap in the jaws is greatly exaggerated. It is suggested that this Eat is an insect-eater, but nothing positive is known. Sub-Fam. 4. Gerbillinae.—The Gerbilles form another sub- family, Gerbillinae, of the Muridae, or a family, according to some. The best-known genus is Orrhillns, including the Gerbilles proper. These animals are Old World in range, belonging to the three regions of that part of the world. Ther
. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. THE GERBILLES 475 tion, and the lower incisors are worn to needle-like points. The two molars are excessively minute, and thus the always large gap in the jaws is greatly exaggerated. It is suggested that this Eat is an insect-eater, but nothing positive is known. Sub-Fam. 4. Gerbillinae.—The Gerbilles form another sub- family, Gerbillinae, of the Muridae, or a family, according to some. The best-known genus is Orrhillns, including the Gerbilles proper. These animals are Old World in range, belonging to the three regions of that part of the world. There are a large number of species in the genus, over thirty. They have a Jerboa-like form, with rather long hind-limbs and a long and hairy tail. But the hind- as well as the fore-feet are five-toed. The molar teeth have no trace of tubercles, but only transverse lamellae of Fig. 236.—Gerbille. Oerhillns aegyptius. x J. The incisors are orange; they are white in Biims. Gerhillus pyramiduTn is 90 mm. long, with a tail of 125 mm. The ears are long, 13 mm. The tail has longer hairs at the tip. Psammomys is in some respects different. The tail is shorter than in GcrUUus; its length in an individual of 165 mm. was 130 mm. As in Gerhillus there are four pairs of teats, two pectoral and two inguinal. This genus is exclusively Palaearctic in range. Meriones has a range co-extensive with that of Gerhillus. Pachyuromys is an Ethiopian genus with a short tail. As the generic name denotes, the tail is not only short but thick and fleshy. Sub-Fam. 5. Otomyinae.—The allied genera, Otomys and Ordnomys, are Ethiopian. Otomys unisulcatvs has a tail shorter than the body, the measurements of a female of this species being 137 mm. with a tail of 87 mm. The ear is long, whence the name; it measured in this specimen 2 0 Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these ill
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1895
