Personal Notes In many parts of the Union I have taken specimens of Otomys, from Capetown, Port Elizabeth, the Transvaal also from Matabeleland, Northern Rhodesia. I always got them as a rule in swampy wet areas, though I have also caught specimens on the hill behind Cape Town University. They are most active at night. An area may be honeycombed with their runways and burrows along low river banks, and in swampland areas. I have found them to be numerous where they are found. They feed on succulent plants, grasses, and seeds.