THE HARE KIND. 



355 



cones of the pine. It is fed in its tame state 

 with bread and fruits ; it generally sleeps by 

 day, and is always most active by night. 

 Some naturalists gravely caution us not to let 

 it get among our corn fields, where, they tell 

 us, it will do a great deal of damage, by crop- 

 ping the corn as soon as it begins to ear ! a 



THE MARMOUT. 



FROM the description of the squirrel and its 

 varieties, we proceed to a diffi-rent tribe of 

 animals, no way indeed resembling the squirrel, 

 but still something like the rabbit and the hare. 

 We are to keep these two animals still in view 

 as the centre of our comparison ; as objects to 

 which many others may bear some similitude, 

 though they but little approach each other. 

 Among the hare kind is the Marmout, which 

 naturalists have placed either among the hare 

 kind or the rat kind, as it suited their respec- 

 tive systems. In fact, it bears no great re- 

 semblance to either ; but of the two it ap- 

 proaches much nearer the hare, as well in the 

 make of its head as in its size, in its bushy tail, 

 and particularly in its chewing the cud, which 

 alone is sufficient to determine our choice in 

 giving it its present situation. How it ever 

 came to be degraded into the rat or mouse I 

 cannot conceive, for it no way resembles them 

 in size, being near as big as a hare ; or in its 

 disposition, since no animal is more tractable 

 nor more easily tamed. 



The marmout is, as was said, almost as big 

 as a hare, but it is more corpulent than a cat, 

 and has shorter legs. Its head pretty nearly 

 resembles that of a hare, except that its ears 

 are much shorter. It is clothed all over with 

 very long hair, and a shorter fur below. 

 These are of different colours, black and gray. 

 The length of the hair gives the body the ap- 

 pearance of greater corpulence than it really 

 has, and at the same time shortens the feet, so 

 that its belly seems touching the ground. Its 

 tail is tufted and well furnished with hair, and 

 it is carried in a straight direction with its body. 

 It has five claws behind, and only four before. 

 These it uses, as the squirrel does, to carry its 

 food to its mouth ; and it usually sits upon its 



a He may easily be made tame; but he is apt to do a 

 greatdeal of damage in the corn fields, because he will crop 

 the corn as soon as it begins to ear. BROOKE'S NAT. HIST. 



NO. 31 & 32. 



hinder parts to feed, in manner of that little 

 animal. 



The marmout is chiefly a native of the Alps ; 

 and when taken young is tamed more easily 

 than any other wild animal, and almost as 

 perfectly as any of those that arc domestic. 1 ' 

 It is readily taught to dance, to wield a cud- 

 gel, and to obey the voice of its master. Like 

 the cat, it has an antipathy to the dog ; and 

 when it becomes familiar to the family, and is 

 sure of being supported by its master, it attacks 

 and bites e.ven the largest mastiff. From its 

 squat, muscular make, it has great strength 

 joined to great agility. It has four large cut- 

 ting teeth, like all those of the hare kind, but 

 it uses them to much more advantage, since in 

 this animal they are very formidable weapons 

 of defence. However, it is in general a very 

 inoffensive animal ; and, except its enmity to 

 dogs, seems to live in friendship with every 

 creature, unless when provoked. If not pre- 

 vented, it is very apt to gnaw the furniture of 

 a house, and even to make holes through 

 vooden partitions ; from whence, perhaps, it 

 has been compared to the rat. As its legs are 

 very short, and made somewhat like those of 

 a bear, it is often seen sitting up, and even 

 walking on its hind legs in like manner ; but 

 with the fore-paws, as was said, it uses to feed 

 itself in the manner of a squirrel. Like all of 

 the hare kind, it runs much swifter up hill than 

 down ; it climbs trees with great ease, and 

 runs up the clifts of rocks or the contiguous 

 walls of houses with great facility. It is ludi- 

 crously said that the Savoyards, who are the 

 only chimney-sweepers of Paris, have learned 

 this art from the marmout, which is bred in 

 i; the same country. 



These animals eat indiscriminately of what- 

 ever is presented to them ; flesh, bread, fruits, 

 herbs, roots, pulse, and insects. But they are 

 particularly fond of milk and butter. Although 

 less inclined to petty thefts than the cat, yet 

 they always try t steal into the dairy, where 

 they lap up the milk like a cat, purring all the 

 while like that animal, as an expression of 

 their being pleased. As to the rest, milk is 

 the only liquor they like. They seldom drink 

 water, and refuse wine. When pleased or 

 caressed, they often yelp like puppies ; but 



b Buffon, from whence the remainder of this descrip- 

 tion is taken. N. B. He takes it from Gesner, vol 

 xvii. 



SI 



