204 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



THE DORMICE 



THE family of Dormice (Myoxidce), which in appearance and habits are 

 intermediate between Mice and Squirrels, though more nearly allied 

 to the former, is familiar to us by our own pretty little species 

 (Muscardinus avellanarius), a beautiful little chestnut animal with a 

 hairy tail, and rather larger than a House-Mouse. It is a harmless 

 little thing, living in woods and hedges, and feeding on nuts, seeds, 

 and wild fruit. It prudently lays up a winter store, but, as everybody 

 knows, spends most of the winter indeed, half the year in sleep, for it 

 is the best-known of our hibernating animals, and its sleepiness is pro- 

 verbial. Besides the Common Dormouse, there are on the Continent 

 two large species, nearly as big as Rats, and grey in colour instead of 

 red. The Garden Dormouse (Myoxus quercinus) is a very pretty 

 animal, with black patches round the eyes, and the tail grey at the 

 root, black in the centre, and white at the tip. The Fat Dormouse 

 (M. glis\ esteemed such a delicacy by the Romans, is bigger, with a tail 

 nearly as bushy as a Squirrel's. The rest of the Dormice are African. 



THE COYPU 



(Myopotamus Coypus] 



THE Coypu is the only generally well-known member of the family 

 Octodontidce, which are African and American only. Most of them are 

 ground or tree animals, but the Coypu is a gigantic Water-Rat, bigger 

 than a Cat, with webbed hind-feet. It is a common animal in South 

 America, and well known over here in two capacities it produces the 

 so-called " nutria " fur, having a soft under-coat like so many aquatic 

 animals, and it is exhibited by travelling showmen as a huge and 

 terrible Sewer- Rat! Thus it usually appears under a false name the 

 word "nutria" being Spanish for Otter. In Zoological Gardens it 

 does well, and frequently breeds ; the young are born active and well- 

 furred, with open eyes. They are fond of riding on the back of their 

 mother in the water, and it might at first be supposed that the 

 peculiar position of the nipples in this animal along the sides instead 

 of on the under part of the body was specially adapted to suckling 

 them in this position ; but as a matter of fact this curious location of 

 the teats is found in the land Octodonts also. 



