A TELL-TALE LANDMARK 



German naturalist, tells us that its burrow is formed with 

 some skill. Its dwelling-room is usually from three to six 

 feet from the surface of the ground and is approached by a 

 perpendicular tunnel, while a second tunnel, or creeping 

 hole, affords an easier means of exit by being sunk in a 

 sloping direction. Other passages, deep down, connect the 

 living or sleeping apartment with the store-room. The 

 burrows vary in character according to the age of the owner ; 

 a young animal makes its dwelling nearer the surface and of 

 smaller dimensions than an older one. Furthermore, the 

 female hamster constructs a more spacious dwelling than 

 the male ; but the latter, at all events when old and ex- 

 perienced, excavates the chambers at a greater depth in the 

 earth. 



A hamster's burrow is easily recognized by the heap of 

 earth in front of the creeping hole being strewn over with 

 grain. The entrance tunnel is always perpendicular for the 

 greater part of its course, but before reaching the sleeping 

 chamber it turns aside and becomes either sloping or 

 horizontal. The creeping hole, on the other hand, is invari- 

 ably more or less curved throughout its whole length. The 

 openings of the two tunnels are from a yard and a half to 

 four yards apart. 



One can readily see whether a burrow is inhabited or not. 

 If moss, fungi, or grass be found sprouting inside, or if the 

 sides are beginning to moulder or crumble, it is certainly 

 deserted, for such a state of affairs is, of course, impossible 

 in a burrow which is occupied. 



When a dwelling has been inhabited for a long time the 

 walls become quite smooth and polished from the constant 

 rubbing of the animal's fur. The chambers are not of equal 

 size, the living-room being the smaller of the two. This 

 apartment is liberally furnished with a soft bed of very fine 



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