64 NATURAL HISTORY. 



ed with art. It is rather wide than long, and very deep, 

 so that it is capable of containing several, without be- 

 ing under a necessity of crowding each other, or injur- 

 ing the air they breathe. Their feet and claws areform- 

 ed as they were designed to dig ; and, in fact, they 

 burrow into the ground with amazing celerity, scrap- 

 ing up the earth, and throwing back what they have 

 loosened behind them constantly as they proceed. 

 Still "more wonderful is the form of their hole ; it re- 

 sembles the letter Y, the two branches having each 

 an opening that conducts into one channel, which ter- 

 minates in their apartment at the bottom. As the 

 whole is contrived on the declivity of a mountain, 

 there is no part of it on a level but the apartment at 

 the end. One of the branches or openings issues out 

 sloping downward ; and this serves as a kind of sink 

 or drain for the whole family, in which they void 

 their excrements, and through which the moisture of 

 the place finds an easy passage. The other branch, 

 on the contrary, slopes upward, and serves them for 

 -a door. The apartment at the end is warmly lined 

 with moss and hay. It is even asserted, that this 

 work is carried on by the whole company ; that some 

 cut the finest grass, others pile it up, and others take 

 their turns to convey it to the hole. Upon this occa- 

 sion, it is added, one of them lies upon its back, per- 

 mits the hay to be heaped upon its belly, keeps its 

 paws upright to make greater room, and in this man- 

 ner, remaining still upon its back, is dragged by the 

 tail, hay and all, to their common retreat. This prac- 

 tice some assign as a reason for the hair being ge- 

 nerally worn away from their backs. However, an- 

 other, and perhaps a better reason can be given for 

 this appearance ; namely, their inhabiting cells under 



