184 ANIMALS OF THE 



are placed close together, being very small, and 

 seeming scarcely separated ; so that with respect 

 to this part of its formation, the animal has some 

 resemblance to the viper. However, it is a very 

 harmless little creature, doing scarcely any injury. 

 On the contrary, as it lives chiefly in the fields, 

 and feeds more upon insects than corn, it may 

 be considered rather as a friend than an enemy. 

 It has a strong disagreeable smell, so that the cat, 

 when it is killed, will refuse to eat it. It is said 

 to bring four or five young at a time. 



THE DORMOUSE. 



THESE animals may be distinguished into three 

 kinds; the greater dormouse, which M. Buffbn 

 calls the Loir; the middle, which he calls the 

 Lerot ; the less, which he denominates the Mus- 

 cardin. They differ from each other in size, the 

 largest being equal to a rat, the least being no 

 bigger than a mouse. They all differ from the 

 rat, in having the tail tufted with hair in the man- 

 ner of a squirrel, except that the squirrel's tail is 

 flat, resembling a fan, and theirs round, resem- 

 bling a brush. The lerot differs from the loir, 

 by having two black spots near the eyes : the 

 muscardin differs from both in the whitish colour 

 of its hair on the back. They all three agree in 

 having black sparkling eyes, and the whiskers 

 partly white and partly black. They agree in 

 their being stupified like the marmot during the 



