120 THE MUSK RAT. 



under the skin upon the hide, which possesses the 

 power of contraction ; and its ribs are capable of such 

 a degree of elasticity as to enable the ondatra to creep 

 into a hole which a much smaller animal could not 

 enter. 



This quadruped, in some measure, resembles the 

 beaver in its habits and disposition ; they both live in 

 society during winter; both form houses of two feet 

 and a half wide, in which several families reside toge- 

 ther ; yet they'do not lay up a store of provision like 

 the beaver, but merely form a kind of covert way un- 

 der the snow, from whence they may issue to procure 

 water and roots. During the summer they emerge 

 from these subterraneous dwellings in pairs, feed vora- 

 ciously upon different fruits and vegetables, and then 

 grow extremely fat; they are then held in high esti- 

 mation by the natives of the country, not only on ac- 

 count of their skins, but for the delicacy of their fle.sh, 

 which at that period of the year is thought excellent 

 food. The desman and the pilori are the two other 

 species of this animal ; the former is a native of Lap- 

 land, and the latter of the West Indies. 



THE CRICETUS. 



The cricetus, or German rat, resembles the water- 

 rat in size, though the colour is rather a deeper brown : 

 but the striking features in this animal are two large 

 pouches by the side of its under jaw, in which it con- 

 veys the winter's deposit to the ingenious habitation it 

 forms under the ground : each of these habitations 

 consist of different apartments, according to the num- 

 ber of the family who are to take up their abode in 

 them, each of which communicates with the other, 

 and -occupy at least twelve feet in the diameter of 



