MAMMALIA — HAMSTER. 241 



The habitations of the hamsters are different, according to their sex and 

 age, and also to the quality of the land they inhabit. That of the male 

 hamster, is an oblique passage, and at the entrance is a portion of earth 

 thrown up. At a distance from the entrance, there is a single hole, which 

 descends in a perpendicular manner to the chambers or cavities of the 

 habitation. There is no hillock of earth near that hole ; which makes us 

 presume, that the oblique entrance is made hollow from the outside, and 

 that the perpendicular hole, by which they come out, is worked withinside, 

 from the bottoiii to the top. 



The habitation of the female has also an oblique passage, with two or 

 three, and even eight perpendicular holes, by which the young ones may 

 come in and go out. The male and the female have each their separate 

 abode ; that of the female is deeper than that of the male. 



The perpendicular hole is the common passage for coming in and going 

 out. By the oblique road, they throw out the earth they scratch up. This 

 passage also has a gentle declivity into some of the cavities, and another 

 more steep into others, which serve for a free circulation of the air in this 

 subterraneous habitation. The cavity where the female breeds her young 

 contains no provision, but only a nest formed of straw or grass. The depth 

 of the cavity is very different. The young hamster, of a year old, makes 

 its burrow only a foot deep, while the old animal often hollows it to the 

 depth of four or five feet. All the cavities communicate together in one 

 habitation, which is about eight or ten feet in diameter. 



These animals store their magazines with dry clover, corn, and other 

 grain ; beans and peas they likewise provide themselves with ; all these 

 they are particularly careful to separate from the husk, which, with every 

 other matter they do not make use of, they carry out of their habitation by 

 this oblique passage. 



The hamster commonly gets in its winter provisions 'at the latter end 

 of August. Its stores are not meant for a winter supply, it being torpid at 

 that season, but for the preceding and following period. AVhen it has filled 

 its magazines, it covers them over, and shuts the avenues to them carefully 

 with earth. This precaution renders the discovery of these animals very 

 difficult. The heaps of earth which they throw up before the oblique pas- 

 sage, are the only marks to trace their habitations. The most usual method 

 of taking them, is by digging them out of their holes, which is attended 

 with much trouble, on account of the depth and extent of their burrows ; 

 however, a man versed in this business, commonly effects his purpose with 

 good success. In autumn, he seldom fails of finding two good bushels of 

 corn in each of their habitations ; and he draws great profit from the skins 

 of the animals. The hamsters bring forth their young two or three times 

 in a year, and seldom less than five or six each time. Some years there 

 are great numbers of them to be seen, and in others, scarcely any to be 

 met with. They multiply in great numbers when the seasons are wet, 

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