PARENT AND OFFSPRING 129 



breasts, to make a warm home for their young ones. 

 Squirrels construct nests for the winter and store 

 provisions. Rats and mice, too, make nests, collect- 

 ing quantities of soft material, such as wool and 

 rags, arranging them in a hole. The harvest-mouse 

 constructs an elaborate nest out of narrow grasses 

 woven into a globular shape and suspended upon 

 firm blades of corn. In rodents the number of young 

 at a birth varies from two to as many as twelve. 

 They are born blind, naked, and helpless, and depend 

 upon the mother until they are almost full-grown. 

 Not only do the males not provide for their young, 

 but they even attack them sometimes. The beavers 

 are the most intelligent of the rodents, and therefore 

 the young remain long with their mothers; for, as 

 we have seen, the higher the intelligence, the longer 

 the period of infancy. They are born naked and 

 blind, and have special chambers built for them. 

 After birth the mothers suckle them and keep them 

 warm for months. In six weeks they are able to 

 follow her about; but she keeps them with her for 

 two years, teaching them all that is essential to the 

 well-being of a beaver, and also how to work with 

 and for the community. 



The insectivores, to which the hedgehog and mole 

 belong, also prepare nests for their offspring. The 

 former constructs a nest out of moss and leaves, 

 placing it so that it is sheltered from the rain. The 

 family consists of four or five at most ; they are born 

 quite helpless. In a week or two they are able to 

 move about, and the mother teaches them what is 

 to be their food. 



We are all familiar with the examples of parental 



9 



