GILT-TAILED DORMOUSE. 
tinual waste occasioned by perspiration. Aris- 
totle might be led into this error by the mild 
winters of Greece; where the Dormice sleep 
not perpetuallvj but often revive, take plenty of 
food, and are consequently extremely fat, 
though in a torpid state. The truth is, they 
are fat at all times ; and, particularly, in sum- 
mer and autumn. Their flesh resembles that 
of the Guinea Pig. The Romans reckoned 
Dormice among their most dehcate dishes, 
and accordingly reared them in great numbers. 
Varro describes the method of making war- 
rens for them ; and, from Appicius, we learn 
the manner of dressing them in the high taste 
of his times. In this pra6lice, whetlier from 
a disgust at these animals because they re- 
semble Rats, or from the badness of their 
flesh, the Romans have not been followed by 
other nations. I have been informed, by pea- 
sants who had eat them, that they were not 
better than AV^ater Rats. Besides, the Fat 
Squirrel is the only species that is eatable ; the 
flesh of the Garden Squirrel is bad, and has a 
disagreeable flavour." 
For these ingenious and very excellent re- 
marks on the torpidity of animals, every ra- 
tional 
