32 ANIMALS AT WORK AND PLA Y 



because he was the merriest and most sociable of beasts, 

 so, in the talk of the Russian peasants, the hamster is 

 the synonym for all that is sullen, avaricious, solitary 

 and morose. Even in colour he is unlike most other 

 animals, being light above and dark below. This 

 gives the hamster somewhat the same incongruous 

 appearance that a pair of black trousers and a light 

 coat lend a man ; in other respects he is like a large 

 shaggy guinea-pig, with very large teeth and puffy 

 cheeks, into which he can cram a vast quantity of 

 rye or beans for transport. Each hamster lives in 

 a large roomy burrow all by himself, in defence of 

 which he will fight like a badger against any other 

 hamster who may try to enter. Family life he 

 wholly avoids, never allowing a female inside his 

 burrow, but keeping her at a good distance, and 

 making her find her own living for herself and 

 family. The last burden is, however, not a serious 

 one, for by the time the young ones are three weeks 

 old, each discovers that family life is a great mistake 

 and sets off to make a bachelor burrow for itself 

 and save up beans for the winter. For, in addition 

 to its other amiable qualities, the hamster has that 

 of avarice in a marked degree, and heaps up treasures 

 of corn, rye and horse-beans far in excess of his own 

 private wants for the winter. His favourite plan is 

 to dig a number of treasure-chambers, all communicat- 



