236 APPETITE, SLEEP, FOOD. 
comfortable place, to give themselves up to 
sleep. In summer they eat voraciously ; 
and, in a state of nature, are so fat, at the 
approach of the sleeping season, as often to 
weigh twenty pounds. In the northern lati- 
tudes, of which they are native, they retire to 
their holes about the end of September, and 
do not come abroad again before the begin- 
ning of April. 
The elegant specimen represented in the en- 
eraving, is anative of North America, and has 
on each of its sides a yellowish white stripe, 
bordered with black, while the general colour 
of itscoatis grey. This species is very small, 
not exceeding nine inches in length, from the 
nose to the root.of the tail; with a tail, in- 
cluding the fur, of not more than three inches. 
As farther illustrative of its real habits, 
I may add, that in countries where the 
rhubarb-plant is found, the Marmots are 
said usually to fix their residence near to 
them; and that if ten or twenty of those 
plants are growing adjacent to each other, 
several burrows of Marmots are always 
found immediately under the shade and 
protection of their leaves. Every animal 
has its own favourite vegetable. 
