578 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HAMSTER. 



fectually keep out the cold, yet admit of a partial circulation 

 of air. The nest is of the average size of an ox-bladder, and 

 filled with the softest straw. It communicates with the store- 

 chambers, as before stated ; and the animal continues awake 

 for about two months, during which it consumes about two 

 thirds of its stores and becomes very fat, till the winter fairly 

 sets in, when it becomes torpid. After the middle of Febru- 

 ary one generally finds the first hamsters that are awake ; ■ 

 but unless the sun shine very warm, they do not open their 

 holes, but occupy themselves with digging new canals, &c, 

 as it would seem merely for the sake of exercise. At this 

 season one finds but two or three handfuls of corn left. About 

 the middle of March they usually begin to open their bur- 

 rows, commencing with the plunging-hole, which they throw 

 open very widely, so that it resembles the burrow of a rabbit. 

 They abandon their winter-burrows soon after, and dig new 

 ones ; they take rambles and collect young weeds, as well as 

 the fresh-sown summer corn, whereby they become very inju- 

 rious. The male awakes from his winter sleep sooner than 

 the female; and herein we may observe a very interesting pro- 

 vision of nature. The female, on account of the care neces- 

 sary to be bestowed on her progeny, not having time to collect 

 so large a store as the male, digs her winter-burrow much 

 deeper, whereby she the sooner becomes torpid, and awakes 

 later than the male ; and but for this many would die of hun- 

 ger. All the hamsters which have been dug out in winter 

 were males, the females lying so deep that the traces of their 

 burrow have been lost before getting at them. They seldom 

 open their holes before the beginning of April. 



When a torpid hamster is dug out, it is found lying on one 

 side, rolled up in a lump ; the head being under the belly, 

 which is embraced by the fore-paws, the hind-paws being 

 joined above the snout. The animal is perfectly clean, and 

 the hairs, especially the whiskers, beautifully arranged. The 

 hairs are stiff, and their becoming pliant marks the first stage 

 of the animal's awaking. The eyes are closed ; and if open- 

 ed by artificial means, they shut again spontaneously. The 

 animal does not breathe. When opened in this torpid state, 

 it does not show any symptom of feeling pain, although the 



1 As an exception, I have a few times seen hamsters, even at an earlier 

 season, basking before the creeping-hole of their burrows, in the sunshine of 

 a bright winter day. The creeping -hole was thrown wide open on such oc- 

 casions; the animals retreated on my approach ; and had they not, in every 

 instance of that sort, peeped out again in defiance, with their well-known 

 squeaking-, I could not positively state that I had seen hamsters behaving 

 thus in the middle of winter. 



