THE MARMOT. 215 



Furious combats Fecundity. 



sters meet, they never fail to attack each other, 

 and the stronger always devours the weaker. 



Buffon remarks, that a combat between a male 

 and female commonly lasts longer than that be- 

 tween two males. They begin by pursuing and 

 biting each other; then each of them retires 

 aside, as if to take breath. After a short interval 

 they renew the engagement, and continue to 

 fight till one of them falls. The vanquished uni- 

 formly serves for a repast to the conqueror. 



The females bring forth twice or thrice a-year ; 

 each litter consisting of six or eight young: and 

 their fecundity in some years is so great, as to 

 be almost sufficient to occasion a dearth : but 

 their perpetual hostilities happily counteract the 

 ill effects of their rapid increase. In about three 

 weeks after their birth, the young are driven 

 from their holes, and left to seek their own pro- 

 visions; and in fifteen or sixteen days, they be- 

 gin to form their respective burrows. 



Hamsters are found in various parts of Ger- 

 many, Poland, and Silesia. 



THE MARMOT. 



THE Alpine marmot is about sixteen inches 

 in length, has a short tail, and bears some resem- 

 blance both to the rat and the hare. The colour 

 of the body is brownish above, and bright tawny 



