486 MAMMALIA. 



so that it will suffice if we speak of the common species, the only 

 one, in fact, which has been well studied. 



The Common Marmot lives on the high peaks of the Swiss 

 and Savoy Alps, in the vicinity of the glaciers. It forms small 

 societies, composed of two or three families, and digs out burrows 

 on the slopes exposed to the sun. These burrows have the form 

 of the letter Y ; the galleries are so very narrow that it is with 

 difficulty the human hand can be inserted into them. At the 

 extremity of one of these oblique shafts is found a spacious 

 chamber of an oval form, in which the proprietors rest and 

 sleep. The vertical passage has no exit, and appears to be 

 specially destined to receive the ordure of the community, though 

 they may, perhaps, obtain from it the materials necessary to cover 

 and consolidate the other two conduits, which serve for principal 

 gallery and sleeping-room. 



The Marmots in a state of nature live exclusively on herbage. 

 According to Tschudi, they crop off the shortest grass with 

 wonderful rapidity. During fine weather they love to stretch 

 themselves out, frisk, play, or bask in the rays of the sun. 

 Remarkable for caution, they never sally from their retreats 

 without taking the greatest precautions ; the old venturing first, 

 after carefully inspecting the neighbourhood, then follow the 

 others in rotation according to seniority. Feeding, playing, or 

 basking, they lose nothing of their vigilance, for as soon as one 

 has the slightest suspicion of danger, it utters a sharp bark 

 of warning, which is quickly repeated by those near it, and in 

 an instant the whole band rush into their burrow, or fly towards 

 some place of concealment. 



Marmots have a summer and winter residence — a town and 

 country mansion. In summer they betake themselves to the 

 highest part of the mountain, where they devote themselves to 

 breeding and rearing their young, the number of which varies 

 from two to four, and who remain with the parents until the fol- 

 lowing summer. When autumn arrives, they descend to the 

 region of pasturage, and dig out a new burrow for their winter 

 home, which is always deeper than the summer retreat. It is 

 then they make hay — cutting grass, turning and drying it, 

 which, when cured, they carry into the chamber appointed for its 

 reception. 



