OUR OLD FAMILIAR FRIEND 



opening into the living-room, which measures from three to six 

 feet across and is filled with soft, dry grass ; this is replenished 

 in the autumn of each year, for the marmot is a prudent little 

 fellow, and begins to put by a store of provisions as early as 

 August, cutting down grass and herbage with his sharp teeth 

 and then, when it is dry, carrying it home. There are still 

 many simple folk who believe, as Pliny did, that one of the 

 animals lies on his back and allows himself to be loaded with 

 hay by the others, who then drag him home by the tail, like 

 a living sledge. In this way they account for the worn-out 

 appearance of the fur on his back. But his shabby garment 

 is more probably, if less picturesquely, explained by the 

 narrow entrance through which he has to pass in order to get 

 into his burrow. 



We can hardly leave the digging mammals without just 

 mentioning our friend the Rabbit, whose official title is 

 Oryctolagus cuniculus. A rabbit warren consists, as most 

 people are aware, of an intricate system of underground 

 tunnels which communicate with one another and run in all 

 directions. Besides the main entrance, the individual burrow 

 is commonly provided with a back door or bolt hole, the 

 advantage of which is obvious. The rabbit's nursery, how- 

 ever, has but a single opening, and the mother lines her nest 

 with fur which she plucks with her teeth from her own 

 chest and body. 



