THE DORMICE. 



321 



The Woodohuck, 



an American 



Animal. 



ness and pretty appearance win for it a great many 

 friends. 



Very similar in its bodily structure to the 

 Alpine Marmot is its nearest American rela- 

 tive, the well-known Woodchuck or Ground 

 Hog {A rciomy,s monax). Its head and body 

 measure about fourteen mches, the tail about four inches The 

 body is stout, the head broad and flat, the legs short and thick. 

 The fur is blackish or grizzled on the upper portion and of a 

 chestnut red on the under surface of the body. 



The Woodchuck is found in all parts of the region extend- 

 ing from the Carolinas north to Hudson Bay, and from the 

 Atlantic coast west to Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota. It in- 

 habits woods, prairies and meadows, lives on roots, vegetables, 

 and herbs and is especially fond of red clover. Its burrows 

 are large excavations, and in the early autumn it busies itself 

 in storing provisions for its long winter retreat. It is one of 

 the first hibernating animals to retire to winter quarters and 

 one of the earliest to come forth from its hiding place, the 

 length of its hibernation varying with the locality and being 

 shorter in the south than in the north. In the northern United 

 States it usually retires about the first of October and reap- 

 pears about the middle of March. When it begins its hiberna- 

 tion it carefully closes the entrance to its burrow. The winter 

 retreat usually contains a male and female. Dr. Bachmann, 

 who had marked a burrow to which he knew a pair of Wood- 

 chucks had retired, caused it to be opened early in November, 

 and found the two animals, perfectly dormant, lying coiled up 

 close together in a nest of dry grass, twenty-five feet from the 

 entrance. 



The young Woodchucks, of which there, are from four to 

 six in a litter, are born about the end of April and are tenderly 

 cared for by the mother until they are old enough to shift for 

 then»selves. Woodchucks are vigorously hunted, not only for 

 the harm they do, for where numerous they are very destruc- 

 tive in fields and gardens, but also because they are an easy 

 prey to small boys who, accompanied by Dogs, pursue them 

 or dig them out of their burrows. 



Besides the Common Woodchuck there are other American 

 species, notably the Rocky Mountain Marmot {Arctomys flavi- 

 ventor) which was first described by Audubon and Bachmann 

 from a specimen brought from California in 184 1. It is con- 

 siderably larger than the Woodchuck, the head and body 

 attaining a length of eighteen inches and the tail ten inches. 

 Still larger is the Hoary Marmot or Whistler {Arctomys prui- 

 nosus) which attains a length of from twenty-three to twenty- 

 five inches and has a tail about twelve inches long. It is an 

 inhabitant of northwestern America, from the Columbia river 

 north to the Arctic circle. 



tLbe Dormice. 



SECOND FAMILY: Myoxid^. 



The Squirrels are followed by a group of graceful 

 little Rodents, the Dormice {Myoxidce). In appear- 

 ance and character they exhibit some affinity to the 

 Squirrels, but differ from these latter by peculiarities 

 in their anatomical structure. They have a narrow 

 head with a more or less pointed snout, rather large 

 eyes and large ears, devoid of fur; the body is stout. 

 The limbs are of moderate length; the feet are of 

 delicate mould and the fore-paws have four toes and 

 a flat-nailed thumb mark; the hinder-paws have five 

 toes; the tail is moderately long' and very bushy and 

 its fur is arranged in a double row. The fur is rich 

 and soft. 



Life and Traits Up to the present time scarcely more 

 of the Dor- than half , a dozen distinct species of 

 .""'o^- this family are known, and all these 



are confined to the Old World. Their haunts are in 

 hilly and mountainous localities, in forests, groves 

 and gardens. They live on and in the trees; more 

 rarely in burrows dug out between roots of trees or 

 in clefts of rocks and walls, and they habitually hide 

 from view as much as possible. , By far tjie majority 

 of these animals sleep through the day and search 

 for food only in the dusk of morning and evening, 

 and for this reason it is rarely and only by chance 

 that they are seen. When they have had enough 



sleep they are very active animals. They are excel- 

 lent runners and still better climbers, but cannot 

 leap as far as the Squirrels. 



In temperate climes they become torpid at the 

 approach of the cold season and spend the winter 

 sleeping in their nests. Some species lay by provis- 

 ions for this time and subsist on the stores thus 

 hoarded, which they eat at the intervals of their 

 hibernation, when they awake temporarily. Others 

 do not need even this winter store, as they become 

 so fat before retiring to winter quarters that they 

 can subsist on this adipose accumulation. 



The food of the Dormice consists of fruit and all 

 kinds of seeds; the majority also feed on insects, 

 eggs and young birds. While eating, they sit on 





" THE LOIB. Sometimes called the Fat Dormouse. It is the 



largest of the Dormouse family and is found principally in southern Eu- 

 rope and in a portion of Asia. It is an arboreal animal, and spends the 

 summer and early autumn seeking for food in the WQods, as shown in 

 the picture, preparatory to its long winter hibernation. iMyoxus glis.) 



their hind legs, like the Squirrels, and lift the food 

 to the mouth with their fore-paws. The Dormice 

 are of no use worth mentioning, while their depreda- 

 tions in gardens may cause considerable harm. 



The Loir The first species is formed by the 

 or Fat Dormouse Loir, or Fat Dormouse {Myoxus glis) 

 Described. and an allied variety. The Loir at- 

 tains a length of six and one-half inches, exclusive 

 of the tail, .which is five inches long. The soft and 

 rather close fur is of a uniform ashen gray on the 

 upper surface, with a surface tinge of brownish 

 black; the under surface of the body and the inner 

 surface of the limbs are milk white and of silvery 

 lustre, the line of demarcation being sharply defined. 

 Haunts and The Loir exists all over southern and 

 Habits of eastern Europe. Its principal home 

 the Loir. js in moderately high mountains, 

 preferably forests of oak or beech. It keeps in hid- 



