658 MR. T. T. SOMERVILLE ON THE LEMMING. [DeC. I4 



and the next the mother was scarcely ever in the cigar-box, and we 

 feared that she had deserted the nest, but on looking in on the third 

 daj'^ the little ones were seen to be alive. We had the pleasure 

 next day of examining one of the little ones that had come out of 

 the cio-ar-box ; it was quite blind and unable to walk, it could only 

 scratch and kick and roll over, and it was still quite naked but 

 that a sort of silky shade was doubtless the commencement of a 

 coat. Still the little animal more resembled in texture a good 

 fat caterpillar than a fur-bearing mammal. We noticed now dis- 

 tinctly how the skin was stained black precisely where the black 

 markings would appear, and the ears, legs, and tail appeared to have 

 made most progress since our former hasty glances. The mother 

 let it remain for some time, when she took it in her mouth and 

 carried it in. After that it frequently happened that one or two 

 rolled out or were dragged out attached to the teat, and the mother 

 always took them in again before very long. On the 21st July — 

 the eighth day — the silky coats of the little ones began really to show 

 nicely in their proper colours. They were still quite blind and 

 were become exceedingly thin, long, and leggy ; they began to run 

 out and in a day or two later, and from the 24th July, the eleventh 

 day of their age, would run about — still blind — in, over, and under 

 the moss in the two apartments of their box, in one of which the 

 cigar-box, occupying about a third of the compartment, formed 

 their sleeping-chamber. Two days later (26th July) their eyes 

 began to open a very little, and next day were fully open ; they were 

 now about the size of a common mouse, and they began to nibble at 

 the moss and other eatables. 



On the 29th July the mother died. We hope her six little ones 

 are now able to do without her. 



We should have mentioned that we had obtained, besides those 

 specified as having escaped or died, four two-thirds grown Lem- 

 mings, three half-grown, and one enormous old female, the very largest 

 we have seen, and which on the night of the 22nd July brought forth 

 nine little ones. This interesting creature is most extraordinarily 

 docile, allows our children to handle both herself and young, and does 

 not even seem to object to the three half-growu Lemmings entering 

 her box and her nest. These half-grown Lemmings we took one 

 day from their nest ; there were five, but the other two escaped. 

 In the immediate neighbourhood was another nest in which were 

 five young ones, but when we left Gausdal Sanatorium these were 

 still too young to take. 



We left Gausdal Sanatorium on the 23rd July with our nine 

 Lemmings and fifteen young ones ; these were carefully conveyed to 

 Christiania, and some of them were subsequently forwarded to the 

 Societv. 



