Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/240

KODENTIA. 216 BODGEBS. ns the beaver, pxliiliit iciiuirkable instincts. They bear important relationships to mankind, chiefly as pests highly injurious to agriculture or ob- noxious to the liousekeeper ; but some yield valuable furs, or arc useful in other ways. The living rodents are grouped in two suborders, ac- cording to the arrangement of the incisor teeth. In the suborder Dtiplicidentata, which includes only hares, rabbits, and pikas, there are a pair of small accessory incisors in the ujipcr jaw back of the functional pair. In the other sub- order, Simpliciilentata, there arc only two incisors in each jaw. This suborder includes three sec- tions: (1) Hystricomorpha, containing rodents with tibia and fibula distinct, a hairy muzzle, and 20 teeth; (2) JI_yomorpha, rodents with tibia and fibula united, a naked muzzle, and 10 teeth; (3) Sciuroniorpha, rodents with tibia and fibula distinct, a naked muzzle, and 20 or 22 teeth. See Hare; Pika; Porcupine; Rat; Squikrel. Fossil Eodents. The rodent order probably arose some time during the earlier Eocene in North America, as typical rodents are found in the IMiddle Eocene, and by the end of the Eocene period all the great groups of the order were ditrerentiated. The probability is that the rodents arose from the early Insectivora. It is note- worthy that as yet no intermediate forms have been found to connect the two great rodent groups, the Simplicidentata and the Dupliciden- tata, and a diphyletic origin is possible. The rodents very early underwent a remark- ably wide geographical distribution and by the end of the Eocene they were represented in North and Sojith America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and some existing groups seem to have been much ■ more widely distributed than at present. The Duplicidentata are represented at the base of the Miocene in both Europe and North America by the existing families Lagomj'idie and Leporida', and no extinct families are known. Of the Sim- plicidentata the squirrels occur first in the Upper Eocene of Evirope, and later in the White River beds of the Lower Miocene of North America. The earliest of the beavers (Steneofiber) occurs in the White River formation and in the Miocene of Europe. The poi'cupine-Iike forms attained their greatest development in South America. The rats and mice fust appear in the Upper Eocene of Europe in the genus Cricetodon, and in North America Eumys of the Lower pliocene is an early representative. Although nearly all the rodents have been quite small, there are notable exceptions in Megomys of the South American Pampaean formation, a form "nearly as large as an ox," and in Castoroides Ohioticus, a North American rodent which must have equaled the black bear in size. This animal has been errone- ously described as a giant bearer, but its rela- tionship to the porcupines is now known to be closer. Consult: Flower, Mamnials Living and Extinct (London, 1891); Beddard, Mammalia (ib., 1902) ; Waterhouse, Mammalia, vol. ii. (ib., 1848) ; Coues and Allen, Monographs of yorth American Rodentia (Washington, 1877). EOD'EKIC (?-c.711). King of the Visigoths in Spain from 708 or 709 to 711. He became King after the overthrow and death of Witiza, and according to one account the sons of Witiza joined with some malcontent Visigothic nobles — among whom was a Count .Julian — and sum- moned to their aid the Arab chief who had just finished the conquest of Mauretania. Others as- sert that the country groaned under the tyran- nical government of Roderic, that his licentious behavior had disgusted many of his nobles, and that the people were ripe for a revolution when the Jloslem invasion took place. Both are agreed as to the time and mode of the invasion ; but the Arab historians brand Count Julian with treach- ery, as not only voluntarily surrendering Ceuta, the key to the country, but actually guiding the Berbers and Arabs under Tarik into Spain. A landing was effected at Algeciras in 711; and in spite of vigorous opposition from the Governor of Andalusia, Tarik marched on, routing Rode- ric's chosen cavalry, which had been sent to oppose him. Roderic hastened at the head of an army to oppose the invaders, who had been re- enforced from Africa and by rebels. The two armies met near Jerez de la Frontera, and in .July the decisive battle was fought. It is prob- able that the Christians would have been vic- torious but for the treachery of the King's Gothic enemies. The Saracens won a complete victory, which opened the way to the speedy conquest of Spain. Roderic's fate is unknown, and many legends have been current about his end. Con- sult Saavedra, Estudio sobre la invasidn de los Arabes (Madrid, 1895). RODERICK DHU, doo. In Scott's Ladij of the Lake, an outlaw chieftain, overcome ami made prisoner 1)' Fitz-.James. RODERICK RANDOM. A novel by Tobias Smollett (1748). The hero, a selfish bully, has adventures in many lands, during his hard life in the naw and on shore, some of which is autobiographical. Tom Bowling and Jack Rat- tlin are amusing naval characters, and the story, though coarse, is spirited and entertaining. RODERIGO, rod'c-re'go. In Shakespeare's Othello, a Venetian, in love with Desdemona, and used by lago to further his own purposes. RODEZ, ru'des' or r5o'-. The capital of the Department of Aveyron, France, situated on the crest and slope of a hill, on the north bank of the Aveyron, 148 miles northwest of Montpellier by rail (Map: France, J 7). Its streets are steep, narrow, winding, and dirty; but the promenades around the town are pleasant. The cathedral, with a lofty clock-tower, is a Gothic structure, dating from the thirteenth century. Other note- worthy buildings are the restored Romanesque Church of Saint Amans, the modern Church of the Sacred Heart, the bishop's palace, several medi:Tval houses, and the Renaissance Hotel d'Armagnae. There are ruins of a Roman amphi- theatre and a restored Roman aqueduct supplies the city with water. A variety of woolen cloths are manufactured, cheese of a highly esteemed quality is made, and there is a large trade in cattle and mules. Eodez is the ancient Sego- dunum, the capital of a Gallic Arvernian tribe, the Rutheni, whence the mediseval Latin name, Rutena, and the modern name. It was the capi- tal of the old County of Eouergue. Population, in 1901, 16,105. RODGERS, roj'erz, Christopher Ratjiond Perry (1810-92). An American naval officer. He was born in Brooklyn, and in 18.3.3 entered the navy as a midshipman. He saw active service against the Seminole Indians in 1830-41. and in the Mexican War. From IS.'iO to 1861 he was commandant of midshipmen in the Naval Academy. At the beginning of the