154 ANIMALS OF THE 



ed by its master, it attacks and bites even the 

 largest mastiff. From its squat muscular make, 

 it has great strength joined to great agility. It 

 has four large cutting teeth, like all those of the 

 hare kind ; but it uses them to much more ad- 

 vantage, since in this animal they are very for- 

 midable 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 prevented, it is very apt to gnaw the furni- 

 ture of a house, and even to make holes through 

 wooden 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 clefts of 

 rocks, or the contiguous w r alls of houses, with 

 great facility. It is ludicrously said that the Sa- 

 voyards, who are the only chimney-sweepers of 

 Paris, have learned this art from the marmot, 

 which is bred in the same country. 



These animals eat indiscriminately of whatever 

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

 roots, pulse, and insects. But they are particu- 

 larly fond of milk and butter. Although less in- 

 clined to petty thefts than the cat, yet they al- 

 ways try to steal into the dairy, where they lap 

 up the milk like a cat, purring all the while like 



