. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 502 THE COAST RAT, OR SAND MOLE. The common Mole Rat, which is also known by its Russian name of Slepez, is a native of Southern Russia, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and Syria. Like the ordinary Mole, to which it bears no little external resemblance, it passes its existence in the subterranean tunnels which it excavates by means of its powerful claws. As it but seldom ventures into the light of day, it stands in no need of visual organs, but is compensated for their absence by the very large
. Animate creation : popular edition of "Our living world" : a natural history. Zoology; Zoology. 502 THE COAST RAT, OR SAND MOLE. The common Mole Rat, which is also known by its Russian name of Slepez, is a native of Southern Russia, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and Syria. Like the ordinary Mole, to which it bears no little external resemblance, it passes its existence in the subterranean tunnels which it excavates by means of its powerful claws. As it but seldom ventures into the light of day, it stands in no need of visual organs, but is compensated for their absence by the very large development of the organs of hearing. The place of the eyes is taken by two little round black specks, which lie under the fur-covered skin, so that even if they were sensitive to light, they would be unable to perceive the brightest rays of the noontide sun. The ears, however, are extremely large, and the hearing is exceedingly sensitive, so that the animal receives earlier information of danger through its sense of hearing than through that of sight, which latter faculty would indeed be useless in its dark abode. Sometimes the Slepez leaves the burrow and lies basking in the warm sunshine, but upon the least alarm, or unexpected sound, it plunges into its tunnel, and not /•£ ' ~"WSgSg[^^B^^a^mM appearance until it feels perfectly assured of safety. Should it be unexpect- edly attacked, it assumes an offensive attitude, and trusting to its delicate sense of hearing to inform it of the direction in which the foe is approaching, bites most savagely with its long chisel like incisors. While engaged in combat, or while threatening its adversary, it utters a sharp crying snort at short intervals. The food of the Mole Rat is believed to be entirely of a vegetable nature, and it is in search of the various plants on which it feeds that it drives its long and complicated tunnels through the soil. It is especially fond of roots, more particularly preferring those of a bulbous
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