192 WILD BEASTS OF THE WORLD 



large bushy tails, resemble the ordinary Tree-Squirrels in their appearance so much, 

 that it seems strange that they should live in such a different way ; but from these 

 there is a gradation to species with very small ears and short insignificant tails, and 

 thus links are formed between the typical Squirrels and the group next to be 

 noted. 



THE MARMOTS 



The Marmots are heavy, stout-bodied rodents, with the ears always, and the tail 

 generally, quite short ; they are burrowers, and at first sight look very different 

 from the light, agile, bushy-tailed Squirrels, though really belonging to the same 

 family (Sciuridce). They are found in the northern parts of both worlds, two of the 

 most familiar being the Alpine Marmot {Arctomys marmota), which used to be 

 taken about for exhibition as Monkeys are now, and the Woodchuck (A. monax) 

 of North America, a familiar garden-pest in that country by its inroads on the 

 vegetables. Both of these hibernate during the winter ; they are about as large as 

 ■Cats. 



The well-known Prairie-Dog {Cynomys ludovicianus) is also a Marmot, but a 



smuch smaller animal, of the size of a Guinea-Pig, and sandy-coloured. It lives 



^in communities or warrens — called "dog-towns" — in the open plains of North 



.America, and the little Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia) lives in its company. 



Both bird and beast have lived together and bred in an enclosure in our Zoological 



Gardens, but though they did not hurt each other, their relations could not be 



called cordial. 



THE SCALY-TAILED SQUIRRELS 



It is very doubtful if these animals are closely related to the true Squirrels, and 

 in any case they belong to a separate family of rodents {Anomaturidce). They are 

 all West African, and present the very remarkable peculiarity of having a series of 

 broad horny scales at the base of the under-surface of the tails, which are supposed 

 to act as climbing-spurs, to hinder their slipping back when climbing. Most of the 

 species belong to the genus Anomalurus, and have a parachute expansion of the 

 skin of the sides, as in the Flying-Squirrels, but it is less wide than in those animals ; 

 and in one form {Zenkerella) it is absent. 



