ARCTOMYS. 



tube ; there is no pericarpium ; the cup is 

 connive nt and the seed single, vertically 

 pyramidical, and crowned with a simple 

 down, shorter than the seed. There are 

 two species; viz. the Laffa and Bar- 

 dana. 



ARCTOMYS, the marmot, in natural 

 history, a genus of the Mammalia class 

 of animals, of which the generic charac- 

 ter is, front teeth two in each jaw, strong, 

 sharp, and cuneated ; grinders in the up- 

 per jaw, five on each side, in the lower 

 jaw four ; clavicles or collar bones per- 

 fect. This genus differs but little from 

 the Mus tribe, so that naturalists have 

 sometimes doubted whether they should 

 be separated into distinct genera. Tljjey 

 are diurnal animals ; feed on roots, grain, 

 and fruits, which they often collect in 

 heaps. They reside in subterraneous 

 holes, and become torpid in the winter. 

 The head is gibbous, or rounded, with 

 short ears, or none; body thick; tail 

 short ; hairy ; fore feet four-toed, with a 

 very short thumb ; hind feet five-toed ; 

 coecum large. There are eleven species, 

 of which we shall notice the following : 

 1. Arctomys marmota, or Alpine marmot : 

 ears short, round ; body brown, beneath 

 reddish. It inhabits dry open places, on 

 the summits of the Alps and Pyrenees ; 

 feeds naturally on roots, herbs, and in- 

 sects ; when tamed, it will eat any thing 

 that is offered ; drinks little ; basks in the 

 sun ; lives among small tribes, with a cen- 

 tinel placed, to give notice of danger, 

 which is done with a hiss ; forms a bur- 

 row, with many chambers and entrances, 

 for the summer ; another lined with soft 

 grass, in which it remains torpid during 

 winter.; it eats with its fore paws; walks 

 on its heels, often erect ; is easily caught 

 when out of its burrow ; in a tame state 

 very destructive of food, cloaths, and fur- 

 niture ; hardly kept awake in winter, 

 even in warm chambers ; gravid seven 

 weeks, and brings from two to four at a 

 time. These animals make no provision 

 for the winter, but as soon as the frosts 

 set in they carefully stop up the entrances 

 to their mansions, and gradually fall into 

 a state of torpidity, in which they con- 

 tinue till the beginning of spring, when 

 they awake and commence their excur- 

 sions. Before they retire to winter quar- 

 ters they grow excessively fat, and appear 

 very emaciated on first emerging from 

 them. If carefully dug up during the 

 winter they may be conveyed away in 

 their sleeping state, and when brought 

 into a wnru chani^ > gj aduallj :*.v. \k n. 

 A. Empetra,or Quebec marmot, is raiher 



larger than a rabbit, with short'ears and a 

 round head. It inhabits Hudson's Bay and 

 Canada. A. monax, or ground-hog, is 

 found in various parts of North America, 

 and in its habits and manners is very like 

 that already noticed. The marmot, when 

 taken young, may be easily domesticated, 

 and taught to perform various gesticula- 

 tions, such as holding a stick, dancing, 

 &c. See Plate II. Mammalia, in which 

 will be seen the hamster and lemming, 

 sometimes called the Lapland marmot ; 

 descriptions of these will be found in the 

 article Mus. A bobac, or grey marmot, 

 is a native of the high, but milder and 

 sunny sides of mountainous countries, 

 which abound with free-stone rocks, where 

 it is found in dry situations. It frequents 

 Poland and Russia, among the Carpathian 

 hills : it swarms in the Ukraine, about the 

 Boristhenes, and between this, river and 

 the Don, and along the range of hills 

 which extend to the Wolga. It is found 

 about the Yaik, and inhabits the southern 

 desert in Great Tartary. It is not to be 

 seen in Siberia, on account of its northern 

 situation, and rarely reaches in Kamschat- 

 ka as high as 55. The colour is grey 

 above, with the throat, inside of the limbs, 

 and under parts of the body, fulvous or 

 ferruginous ; the tail is short, rather slen- 

 der, and full of hair. Its manner of life 

 resembles the Alpine marmot. The holes 

 of these animals are lined with the finest 

 hay, and in such quantities, that, it is said, 

 enough has been found in a single recep- 

 tacle to feed a horse for a night. A. ci- 

 tillus, or variegated marmot, is the most 

 beautiful of all the species : in size it 

 differs very much : some are as large as 

 the Alpine marmot, and others not^larger 

 than a common water rat. The variega- 

 ted marmot inhabits Bohemia and other 

 parts of Germany, from the banks of the 

 Wolga to India and Persia, through Sibe- 

 ria and Great Tartary to Kamschatka, and 

 even the continent of America. It is not 

 certain that these sleep in the winter like 

 others of the Arctomys genus. They 

 breed in the spring, and produce from, 

 five to eight at a time. They are said to 

 be irascible and quarrelsome among 

 themselves, and their bite is very severe. 

 They feed not only on animal food, but 

 on small birds and other animals, which 

 they will kill. They are easily tamed, and 

 will grow familiar in a few days. They 

 are extremely clean, and after feeding ge- 

 nerally wash their faces, and clean their 

 fur. Like other domestic animals, they 

 are fond of being caressed, and will feed 

 from the hand. Their sleep is profound 



