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GLIRES. 



OF MURINE QUADRUPEDS IN 

 GENERAL. 



NEARLY all the animals of the present tribe are, 

 in some measure,, injurious to the labours of 

 mankind, in every country where they are found. 

 The inhabitants of Great Britain are very little 

 annoyed by them, comparatively with those of 

 several of the countries both of Europe and Asia; 

 since out of about fifty species, in the whole, there 

 are only seven that are natives of our islands. In 

 many parts of Russia and Siberia, they collect to- 

 gether in numbers almost beyond conception, and 

 wander in immense troops from place to place, 

 carrying devastation through their whole progress. 

 Most of the species reside in burrows which they 

 dig in the ground, among the chinks of rocks, 

 under stones, or in the holes of walls or other 

 buildings. In these retreats they remain concealed 

 during the day time, and only emerge at night in 

 pursuit of food. This consists, for the most part, 



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