. An historical and descriptive account of British America [microform] : comprehending Canada Upper and Lower, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, the Bermudas and the fur countries, their history ... to which is added a full detail of the principles and best modes of emigration. Natural history; Sciences naturelles. j".' i;l â ')' 252 NOTICES REGARDING THE PRINCIPAL with such rapidity that the scarcity of museum speci- mens has heen attributed to the facility with which it escapes pursuit by passing through the soil. It casts up mounds of loose earth, which ha
. An historical and descriptive account of British America [microform] : comprehending Canada Upper and Lower, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, the Bermudas and the fur countries, their history ... to which is added a full detail of the principles and best modes of emigration. Natural history; Sciences naturelles. j".' i;l â ')' 252 NOTICES REGARDING THE PRINCIPAL with such rapidity that the scarcity of museum speci- mens has heen attributed to the facility with which it escapes pursuit by passing through the soil. It casts up mounds of loose earth, which have no exterior opening, and vary in d n ensions from the diameter of a few inches to that of several yards. Mr Say observes that the habits of thi > cr- dture are so entirely subterranean that it is rarely seen, and many persons have lived even for years sunounded by their little edifices without having ever observed the singular beings by whose labours they are produced. A more northern animal, apparently of the same genus, is described by Dr Richardson under the title of mole-shaped sand-rat. It inhabits the banks of the Sas- katchawan, lives entirely under ground, and throws up mounds like molehills, but much larger. In winter it probably sleeps some months, or confines itself to its old galleries, as the ground must be then too severely frozen to admit of its working. It is found only in sandy banks, and its food is presumed to consist of roots; at least, however much it may resemble our European mole in its other habits, it can scarcely prey on earthwomis, as these do not exist in the districts it inhabits. The same traveller was informed by a gentle- man who for forty years had superintended the cultiva- tion of considerable pieces of ground on the banks of the Saskatchawan, that during the whole of that period he had never seen a single worm.* The Canada porcupine {Hystrioc dorsata) has been sufficiently noticed in our foniier volume, where we have also characterized
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booksubjectsciencesn
