THE COMMON DORMOUSB. 25 



He says that it appears to be a solitary animal, inhabits 

 burrows in the earth, but ascends bushes and trees, pro- 

 bably in search of buds and other vegetable productions 

 on which it feeds. (Fig. 10.) Mr. Drummond killed 

 two, one on some low bushes, and the other on the 

 branch of a tree. According to Mr. Graham it burrows 

 perpendicularly, selecting dry spots, at some distance 

 from the coast, and feeding on the coarse grass which 

 gathers on the river sides. The Indians capture it by 

 pouring water into its holes. Its flesh is considered 

 delicate when the animal is fat, but its fur is valueless. 



DORMICE {Myoxidce). 



The dormice seem to connect the squirrels, on the one 

 hand, to the murine groups on the other. They are 

 arboreal in their habits, and clothed with fine soft fur. 

 The toes are four on each fore foot, with the vestige ot 

 a fifth ; the hind feet have five toes. The dentition (Fig. 



-r . 2 , 4—4 ^ 



12) is as follows: — Incisors, -; molars, - — -• Incisors 



laterally compressed ; molars unequal in size, rooted ; 

 the series on each side of each jaw widely separated and 

 parallel. 



The Common Dormouse (Mi/oxus avellanarius) , 



This elegant little creature is the Muscardin, Croque 

 Noix, and Rat d'Or of the French; Moscadino of the 

 Italians ; Liron of the Spanish ; Rothe Wald-maus, 

 Hasel-maus, and Hasel-schlafer of the Germans ; Skogs- 

 mus of the Swedes ; Kassel-muus of the Danes ; and 

 Pathew of the ancient British. It has been supposed 

 by some that it was this species which the Romans fat- 

 tened in their Gliraria for the table : but that animal 

 was most probably the loir {M. Glis), which is common 

 in the woods of Italy, and which approaches a squirrel 

 in size. 



Though common in the southern and midland counties 

 of England, the dormouse is not so abundant in France 



