164 THE HAMSTER. 



monkeys, in which it carries food to its winter store- 

 house. The burrow of the hamster evinces more 

 design in its structure than those of most other 

 animals of the same class. Tt is usually made in 

 dry sloping ground, and consists of a long passage 

 in which several large chambers are excavated at 

 intervals, in one of which the hamster lives, while 

 the others are used as receptacles for the winter 

 supply of food. On account of this habit they are 

 a great pest to the farmer in the districts they 

 frequent, as they carry a vast amount of grain from 

 the fields, more than a hundredweight of beans 

 having been taken out of one of these burrows. 

 During the colder months this animal partially 

 hybernates, waking up occasionally to feed, and 

 again subsiding into a state of lethargy. Each 

 hamster forms a separate burrow, as they are of a 

 singularly unsocial disposition, the male and female 

 living apart for the greater portion of the year. 



The hamster is a very prolific animal, having 

 litters of six or eight several times during the year. 

 The greatest peculiarity, however, in its nature is its 

 utter disregard of danger, as an irritated hamster 

 appears to possess no shadow of fear for any created 

 being. This trait of character is developed in an 

 equal extent in the lemming (My odes lemmus). 

 The fur is of a very soft and close texture, and is of 

 some commercial value. I obtained a hamster last 



