QUADRUPEDS. 133 



the Squirrel, but it is very much smaller and not so 

 nimble. Its aspirations are not so high, for it builds 

 its nest in the hollow of a tree or in some shrub near 

 the ground. This nest is made of entwined grasses 

 mixed with leaves, with an opening so contrived that- 

 it is difficult to be seen. This little animal retires 

 to rest during the depth of the winter, but in the 

 autumn it stores up in the vicinity of its nest a little 

 magazine of nuts and seeds to await its wakening in 

 the spring. The Dormouse is more common than 



THE DORMOUSE. 



many suppose because it is so seldom seen. The 

 cause of this may be found in its being nocturnal in 

 its habits, sleeping during the greater part of the day, 

 and only issuing forth in the evening. For this 

 reason it is rather an uninteresting animal in confine- 

 ment, rolled up like a ball throughout the day, and 

 hence remarkably sleepy and sluggish as compared 

 with the squirrel. Under such circumstances its nest 

 is much less artistic than when constructed in a state 

 of nature ; it seems to comprehend that in its changed 

 condition less severe cold has to be provided against. 

 The Hedgehog is another nocturnal animal, of timid 

 and retiring habits, not unusually domesticated in 



