NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HAMSTER. 475 



*f*fl», I scream : — and such as have, or appear to have, a dif- 

 ferent origin, as Arlan, Tart. ; Bakuk, Bashkir; Tsharligan, 

 Osljak; Chomak, Karbush, Russ. In Germany the animal 

 has several names of that class, as Kornferkel, corn-farrow; 

 Kornhamster, corn-storer; and is most commonly called 

 Hamster. 



CRICETUS, Cuv. Gen. Char.— Teeth much like those of the rat ; 

 tail short, hairy ; huccal pouches, as in some of the apes, widened into 

 large bags, which serve for carrying home food. 



Cricetvs frumentarius. 



Description. — Length of the largest male specimens from 

 the tip of the nose to that of the tail, up to 15 inches Eng. of 

 which the tail measures scarcely more than 2, the grown fe- 

 male being smaller by about one fourth. Weight, up to If 

 th. Shape. — Trunk rather broad than high, x clumsy ; head 

 oval, nose truncated, upper lip cleft, under lip short and hang- 

 ing down ; incisor teeth partially exposed ; eyes moderately 

 large, as well as projecting and almost circular ; ears large, 

 rounded ; feet rather short, formed more for digging than for 

 running, with five toes, the thumb being very short in the 

 fore feet, and furnished with an obtuse nail, whereas the other 

 nails are long, hooked, and grooved below ; five callosities in 

 the sole of the fore feet, and six in that of the hind feet ; tail 

 short, tapering, and becoming rather bare towards the point. 

 Colour. — Greyish brown (hare-coloured) above, and black 

 beneath, with three large yellowish spots on each side occu- 

 pying the flanks, the regions above the shoulders, and that 

 behind the cheeks, the latter spot being continued towards 

 and round the mouth. Cheeks, regions round the ears, and 

 anus russet ; feet white. There is a black variety, rather com- 

 mon in several neighbourhoods, 2 with only the nose and feet 

 white, and a mixed breed of the common and black variety is 

 said to exist, and to be grey. Albinoes are very scarce, but 

 have been occasionally met with. 



Senses. — The organ of vision is moderately developed ; the 

 iris is dark brown, and it is difficult to distinguish it from the 

 pupil, so that the whole visible portion of the eye-ball appears 

 of a dark colour. As it is protected only by a few short bris- 



1 A fresh-killed hamster, when thrown at random on the ground, will lie 

 on its hack or belly, whilst a rat will more commonly lie on one of its sides. 



2 The black variety was very scarce near Gotha about 1770, when a spe- 

 cimen was exhibited at court as a great curiosity ; whereas in the beginning 

 of this century they were of rather common occurrence there. Among three 

 dozen which I procured about eleven years ago from the vicinity of the 

 borough of Buttelstadt, five English miles from Weimar, there were four 

 or five black ones. 



