THE HOUSE. 



Baturalists with the sqairrel, which animal it closely resembles 

 in its mode of feeding and in other ways ; the arrangement of 

 its teeth, however, is more mouse than sqnirrel-liie. 



The common dormouse ia of about the same size as the 

 common domestic species, but it is of plximper form, and its 

 nose blunter. Its eyes are black and full ; its ears round and 

 semi-transparent; its tail two inches and a half long, and 

 more hairy at the tip than at any other part. Its upper parts 

 are reddish-brown, as is its belly, while its throat is white. Its 

 fur is remarkably fine and soft. 



The habits of the dormouse are well described by the author 

 of " British Quadrupeds." " It takes its food holding it in its 

 hands and sitting on its haunches (as db the rats), and often 

 suspending itself by its hind feet, in which position it feeds as 

 easily and comfortably as in the ordinary position. Towards 

 the winter it becomes exceedingly fat, and having laid up a 

 store of food, retires to its little nest, and, coiUng itself up into 

 a ball with the tail over the head and back, becomes completely 

 torpid. A mild day calls it into transient life ; it then takes a 

 &esh supply of food and relapses into its former slumber; and 

 finally awakening in the spring, at which time it ha,s lost much 

 of its fat, it enters upon its usual habits, and the enjoyment of 

 the conjugal and paternal affections. The youag, which 

 generally are about four in number, are bom blind, but in a 

 few days their eyes are opened, and in a short time they are 

 able to seek their food independently of the parents' care." 

 The same author states that he has reason to believe that, in 

 some cases at least, the dormouse has a second brood early in 

 the autumn, and grounds his belief on the fact that he saw in 

 the month of September an adult one about half grown, evi- 

 dently of the spring brood, and three very young ones, appa- 

 rently not more than a fortnight or three weeks old. 



The nest of the dormouse is generally built in the hollows 

 of trees near the root, or in the thickness of a low-growing 

 bush. The materials used in the construction of its dwelling 

 are moss, dead leaves, &c. It is by no means easy to catch a 

 wide-awake dormouse ; it hops fi'om this branch to that, and 

 worms itself so swiftly and unejcpectedly through seemingly 

 impossible clefts and crevices, that its capture by hand is a 

 circumstance of rare occurrence. When, however, it composes 

 itself for its winter nap it offers but little opposition to being 

 made prisoner. In the third volume of the "Naturalist" 

 there are several instances of this character quoted, and among 



