156 



The Living Animals of the World 



The Dormice. 



Tliere are a considerable number of animals, even in England, which hibernate. Most 

 of these feed largely on insect food, wliieh in winter is unolrtainable in any great quantity. 

 Consequently the hedgehog and the badger, which live largely on snails and worms, go to 

 sleep in the famine months. So does the sleepiest of all — the Dormouse. Tliis alone 

 would show tliat this little rodent probaljly feeds on insects very largely, for if it only 

 ate nuts and lierries it could easily store these, and find a good supply also in the winter 

 woods. It has been recently proved that dormice are insectivorous, and will eat aphides, weevils, 

 and caterpillars. But a dormouse hibernates for so long a time that one might imagine its 

 vitality entirely lost ; it sleeps for six months at a time, and becomes almost as cold as 



a dead animal, and breathes very slowly and 

 ' ' almost imperceptibly. Mr. Trevor-Battye says 



that if warmed and made to awaken suddenly 

 , in the winter it would die in a minute or two, 



its heart beating very fast, " like a clock running 

 down." Before their hibernation dormice grow 

 very fat. Tliere is a large species, found in 

 Soutliern Euro})e, which the Eomans used to eat 

 when in tliis fat stage. In winter dormice 

 usually seek the nest of some small bird, and 

 use it as a sleeping-place. They pull out and 

 renew the lining, or add a roof themselves. Into 

 tlie interior they carry a fresh supply of moss, 

 and sleep there in great comfort. Their great 

 enemy at this time is the weasel. There are 

 two main groups of the dormice, divided by 

 naturalists in reference to the structure of their 

 stomach. The South African Graphiures have 

 short tufted tails. The hibernating habit is 

 confined to the more northern species. 



The Mouse Tribe. 

 This family, which includes the Mice, Rats, 

 and Voles, contains more than a third of the 

 numlier of the whole order of Rodents. Some 

 are arboreal, others aquatic ; but most are 

 ground-living animals and burrowers. The 

 nundier of known species has been estimated at 

 330. Among the most marked types are the 

 Water-mice of Australia and New Guinea, and 

 of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The feet of the Australian species are webbed, 

 thougli those of the riiilippiiie form are not. The Gekbils form another group, mainly 

 inhabitants of desert districts. They ha\e very large eyes, soft fur, and tails of various length 

 and form in different species. They have greatly developed hind legs, and leap like jerboas, 

 and are found in Southern Europe, Asia, and Africa. The PHiLirriNE Rats, large and long- 

 haired, and tlie TuEE-MiCE of Africa south of the Saliara, form other groups. A very 

 mischievous race of rodents is represented in Europe by the Hamsters, and in the New 

 World by a closely allied group, the White-footed Mice. 



I'OCKET-GdI'llER. 



'J'lie pocket-gophL'r.s :i,re almost rntirely f^ubten;ni 

 biirrmvinn' ]inwers ui-e ri^markable. 'Jbe tee'.h as well 

 ustid to .aid tljuni. 



I. Tin 

 claua ;t 



The Hamsters. 

 The Hamster is a well-known European species, and represents the group of pouched rats. 



