74 ALPINE MARMOT. 



27. MARMOT TRIBE. 



The Marmots live underground, and are torpid in the 

 winter. They feed on grain and roots. 



Alpine Marmot. Associating together in small com- 

 munities of from five to fourteen, these animals reside in 

 burrows under the surface of the ground. Each of 

 these burrows has two outlets, and one large apartment, 

 lined with mosses and grass, in which the animals have 

 their lodgment. Their food is various; consisting of 

 insects, roots, and vegetables of different kinds. They 

 delight in basking in the sun. Their motions on the 

 ground are so slow, that they are easily to be caught ; 

 but, except during the winter, when they are torpid, it 

 is by no means easy to dig them out of the ground, as 

 their facility of digging is generally much greater than 

 that of their pursuers. They are caught in great num- 

 bers, partly on account of their flesh, which is said to be 

 a delicate and palatable food ; and partly for their skins, 

 which make a valuable fur. The Savoyards catch them 

 when young, and train them for the purpose of exhibi- 

 tion. They are taught to dance, wield a stick, and obey 

 the commands of their master, in performing a variety of 

 other tricks. In general, they are to be considered as 

 harmless and inoffensive animals. They produce their 

 young ones, usually three or four in number, about mid- 

 summer. 



The body of the Alpine Marmot, which is about sixteen 

 inches in length, is thick ; and the head is short and blunt. 

 The ears are short, round, hairy, and almost hidden in 

 the fur. The legs are short : and the tail is short and 

 bushy. The upper parts of the body are dusky brown, 

 and the lower parts reddish. 



