'IRAQ AND THE PERSIAN GULF' [‎144r] (292/862)

FAUNA
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insects round lights. In some places the horseshoe-bat is not un
common, and a larger species, the Babylon sheath-tailed bat, is
plentiful. The latter roosts by day in roofs, where it makes its presence
known by constant quarrelling. A small shrew barely 2 inches long is
widely distributed, and about Basra there is a large grey kind similar
to the musk-rat of India. Both in the cultivated area and on the edge
of the desert the long-eared hedgehog may be met with, though it is
rather local.
A form of the Indian jungle-cat, a powerful animal the size of a
jackal and of uniform grey or tawny, occurs wherever there is thick
scrub. Less common is the Eastern wild cat, a smaller beast with
spots on its flanks and a longer tail. The jackal is similar to that of
India and does much damage to garden crops such as melons. Hyenas
occur in certain parts and attack sheep and sick animals. The small
Persian mongoose is widely spread in the southern areas, and the
young are often tamed by Arab children. About the rivers and
marshes the common otter is not rare; the Arabs hunt it by moonlight
with a double-pronged spear.
At least six different species of gerbils, or desert rats, have been
noted as occurring in Iraq. They vary in size, are of a sandy colour
above, white below, and have very large eyes. One kind, Loftus’s
gerbil, has the hind legs much developed and can jump and dodge
like a kangaroo. All live in deep burrows to escape from the heat;
some feed by day, others are purely nocturnal. Similar in size to the
common water-vole, but of a paler colour, is Buxton’s mole-rat, so
called because it blocks the entrance to its burrow with a mound of
earth like a mole-hill. The brown and the Eastern black rats are com
mon in Basra, but only the latter extends up country. In towns and
villages the Eastern house mouse, of a browner hue than the familiar
animal, is only too common.
The Iraqi hare, a pale-coloured animal, is widely distributed. About
the fringes of the marshes there are wild pigs. In the deserts and drier
parts Marica’s gazelle, rather larger than the Arabian gazelle, may
occasionally be seen.
Birds
In spring and autumn large numbers of birds pass through Iraq
either on the way to their breeding haunts farther north or to their
winter quarters in Africa. These include many familiar European
species such as the spotted fly-catcher, willow warbler, common
wheatear, swallow, cuckoo, and different wading-birds. Others come