vering attempts
to catch the nimble creatures for me, but they leaped and sprang about,
darted through his fingers, disappeared into holes, and seemed to enjoy
his discomfiture. At length a lively pair, with sleek skins and perfect
tails, were securely caged.

Then I was warned to keep them in a tin-lined cage, as they would "gnaw
through anything," even the solid teak chest in which they were kept was
being rapidly demolished by their powerful incisors.

The gerbilles were placed in a plant case, four feet long, with glass
sides and top, through which their gambols could easily be seen. The
case had a glass partition, and on one side lived a pair of chipmunks,
or striped American squirrels. They were highly incensed at their new
neighbours, springing with all their force against the partition, with
low growlings, casting up the cocoa fibre with their hind legs, as if to
try and hide them from their view. They soon found a little chink,
through which, I am afraid, some very strong language was launched at
the new-comers.

Happily the gerbilles did not mind. They found delightful tree-roots to
gnaw at, plenty of food, and freedom to frisk and frolic to their
heart's content, so their neighbours were free to growl as much as they
liked, and they in their turn raised a hill of fibre and played at
hide-and-seek in their new domain.

But let me now describe these gerbilles. I believe there are several
species, differing somewhat in appearance. These were fawn-coloured,
with sleek, soft fur, which, like the chinchilla, was blueish next to
the skin. They were about the size of small rats, with little ears and
long tails, with a black tuft at the end. The fur was white underneath,
the eyes jet black and very large, and long black whiskers, which were
always in motion. The hind legs being longer than the front ones,
enabled the creature to spring and leap along the ground with great
rapidity, as I found to my cost one night, when five of them got out of
their case and gave us an hour's occupation before they could be
recaptured. One managed to get inside an American organ, and effectually
baffled all our efforts to secure him. There was no help for it, he had
to be left there, and I went away with an anxious mind as to what his
busy teeth would be employed upon all night; and, sure enough, next
morning a velvet curtain was found nibbled and tattered, and being
converted into a nest for the enterprising gerbille! They became