MYOXUS. 297 



a much greater distance. When at liberty in a room 

 they scamper about, and run up and down the cur- 

 tains, but they do not try to escape. It is better not 

 to let them loose in the daytime, for, in seeking to 

 avoid the light, they get into inaccessible places. 



We feed them on chestnuts, walnuts, hazel nuts, 

 and acorns ; taking the shells off the nuts so that they 

 may not have too much practice in nibbling. The un- 

 tamed ones will bite their way out of almost any 

 wooden cage, and are not in the least degree 

 interesting to keep. They thrive very well on biscuits, 

 and are fond of sugar. We give them also bits of 

 orange, raisins, figs, and fruit of all sorts. Myoxus 

 requires plenty of water ; he cannot live, like a rabbit, 

 without drinking. They never refuse a piece of cake, 

 and one of them is quite a connoisseur of sweets. My 

 son treats him to cough lozenges, though the little 

 quadruped does not show any signs of weakness in 

 the throat and lungs. 



The German name for the animal is " Sieben- 

 schlafer," because it remains torpid during the Winter ; 

 but our tame ones have never been torpid. Finding 

 provisions abundant, and the climate mild, they prefer 

 to remain awake. 



There must be several broods of Myoxus Glis: 

 for a female born in the Autumn produced a young 

 one in the cage the third week in April, and a litter of 

 five more early in June. It is difficult to understand 

 how those can live which are born in the Spring time, 

 when there are no fruits upon the trees. The stores 

 laid up by the old ones can scarcely be enough to 

 supply the parents and two or three broods of young 

 ones until next year's nuts are ripe. 



