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slender, and full of hair. Its manner of life 
extremely resembles that of the common or 
Alpine marmot, with which, indeed, it ap- 
pears to have been sometimes confounded i>y 
naturalists. The holes or receptacles- of these 
animals are lined with the finest hay, and it 
is said that the quantity found in one nest is 
sufficient for a night’s provender for a horse. 
They are fond of sporting about in the sun- 
shine near their holes, like the common mar- 
mot, set up a -similar whistle when disturbed, 
and retire with precipitation to their recep- 
tacle. They may be easily rendered domes- 
tic, like that species, and are of a mild and 
gentle disposition. In winter they lie torpid, 
unless kept in warm rooms. They breed 
early in the. spring, and are said to produce 
six or eight young. 
5>. Arctomys pruinosa, or hoary marmot. 
This species is about the size of the monax, 
or Maryland marmot, and is of a hoary ash- 
colour ; the hair, which is long and rather 
coarse, being cinereous at the roots, black in 
the middle, and white at the tips ; the tip of 
the nose, legs, and tail, are black; the cheeks 
whitish, and the top of the head dusky, with 
a ferruginous cast. It is a native of North 
America. 
6lh. Arctomys maulina, or mauline mar- 
mot. This animal was discovered in the 
province of Maule, in Chili, where it inhabits 
woods. It is said to be about twice the size 
ot the common or Alpine marmot, nearly of 
the same colour, but has pointed ears, length- 
ened nose, four rows of whiskers, and a longer 
tail than the common marmot. On each foot 
are also said to be five toes. It is represented 
as a strong animal, and not easily conquered 
by dogs which happen to attack it. 
7. Arctomys gundi, or gundi marmot. 
This species is a native of Barbary, towards 
mount Atlas, near Masuffin. It is about the 
size of a small rabbit, and is entirely of a tes- 
taceous red colour; the ears are truncated, 
with large apertures ; the tail short, the upper 
teeth truncated, and the lower slender and 
pointed. It is called by the Arabs gundi. 
Its particular history seems as yet to be not 
fully understood. 
Arctomys citillus, or variegated marmot. 
Of all the marmots this is the most elegant in 
its appearance, exhibiting generally a beau- 
tiful variegation of yellowish brown and white, 
the former constituting the ground-colour, 
and the latter the variegations, which are 
sometimes in the form of spots, and sometimes 
ot transverse undulations; the legs and under 
parts of the body are of a yellowish white ; the 
tail is short, well covered with hair, and is 
brown above and ferruginous beneath ; there 
is scarce any appearance of external ears, fitM. 
merely an edging to the auditory canal. The 
length of the animal is about afoot, and of the 
tail four inches and a half ; but this species 
varies as much in size as in colours, some of 
the varieties are scarce larger than a water rat, 
while others are nearly equal in size to the 
marmot. 
The variegated marmot inhabits Bohemia, 
Austria, Hungary, and from the banks of the 
Volga to India and Persia, through Siberia 
and Great Tartary to Kamtschatka, some of 
the intervening isles, and even the continent 
of America. It is sometimes found in woods, 
but seems principally to delight in dry hilly 
places, where the herbage is of short growth. 
I hey form subterraneous burrows, in which 
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they deposit heaps of grain, roots, nuts, &c. 
, for their winter food; for it does not appear 
that they sleep during that period, like some 
i others of tins genus, 'i hey breed in the 
spring, and produce from five to eight at a 
time. M hey are extremely irrascible and 
quarrelsome among themselves ; their bite is 
very severe. They are extremely cleanly, 
and after feeding, generally wash their faces, 
like cats, and clean their fur with the greatest 
diligence. 
ARCTOPHYLAX, a constellation, other- 
wise called bootes. • 
ARCTOPUS, in botany, a genus of the 
polyganiia dicecia class and order, and in the 
natural method ranking under the 45th or- 
der, umbellatae. The umbella of the male is 
compound; the involucrum consists of five 
leaves ; the corolla has five petals ; the sta- 
mina are five ; and two pistilli ; the umbella 
of the hermaphrodite is simple ; the involu- 
crum is divided into four parts, is spinous, 
large, and contains many male Bowers in the 
disk. There is but one species of arctopus, 
viz. 
Arctopus eehinatus, a native of Ethiopia. 
ARCTOTiS, in botany, a genus of the 
polyganiia necessaria order, belonging to 
the syngenesia class of plants ; and ~In the 
natural method ranking ; under the 49th or- 
der, coinpositai-discoites. The receptacle 
is bristly ; the corona of the pappus is penta- 
phyllous ; and the calyx is imbricated with 
scales loose at the top. There are 11 species; 
natives of Ethiopia, or the Cape of Good 
Hope. Of these, 
1. Arctotis angustifolia, with spear-shaped 
leaves; and 
2. Arctotis aspera, with wing-shaped woolly 
leaves, are most remarkable lor their beauty. 
They are treated with us as green-house 
plants. 
ARCTURUM, a small star, of the seventh 
or eighth magnitude to the south of arctu- 
rus. 
ARCTURUS, a fixed star of the first 
magnitude, in the skirt of bootes. 
ARC! US, in astronomy, the Greek name 
for the ursa major and minor, whence the 
words arctic, arctic circle, ckc. 
ARCUATION, in gardening, the raising 
of trees by layers, which is done thus: strong 
mother plants, or stools, must be planted in a 
clean border, and when they have shot five or 
six main branches from the root, and as many 
collateral branches, these main branches must 
be bent to the ground; for which reason, 
some cut them half through, and peg them 
fast down. The small branches must be co- 
vered three inches thick upon the joints, and 
have a large bason of earth made round them 
to hold the water. Some persons give the 
branches a twist, to make them root the 
sooner. 
ARCUTIO, a machine consisting of hoops 
used in Florence by nurses, in order to pre- 
vent the child from being overlaid. Every 
nurse is obliged to lay her child in an arcutio, 
under pain of excommunication. 
ARDASSES, the coarsest of all the silks in 
Persia. 
ARDEA, the heron, a genus of the order 
of grallac. The general characters of this or- 
der are ; the bill is straight, sharp, long, and 
somewhat compressed, with a furrow that 
runs from the nostrils towards the point ; the 
nostrils are linear, and the feet have four toe*. 
Under this genus Linnaeus comprehends the 
gras 'or crane, the ciconia or stork, and the 
ardea or heron. There are 79 species, of 
which the following are tire most remark- 
able. > p 
1. Ardea americana, or hboping crane of 
Edward's, is a native of America. The crown 
of the head and temples are naked and papil- 
lous; the forehead, nape of the neck, and 
prime wing feathers, are black, but the body 
is white. r I his species is often seen at the 
mouths of the Savanna, Aratamaha, and other 
rivers near St. Augustine. They lay two 
white eggs, like those of the swan, and sit 20 
days ; the young are at first yellow, changing- 
to white by degrees. 
2. Ardea argil, or hurgil,of Ives, is a very 
large species ; from tip to tip of the wings, 
measuring 14 feet 10 inches, and from the tip 
of the bill to the claws 7 feet and a half; the 
bill is 16 inches round at- the base, of different 
colours, and nearly of a triangular shape ; the 
feathers of the back and wings are of an iron 
colour, those of the breast long; over the 
belly a great deal of down, of a dirty white ; 
the legs and half the thighs are naked ; the 
naked parts fuli three feet in length. This 
monster inhabits Bengal. On opening one of 
these, a terapin, or land-tortoise, 10 inches 
long, was found in its craw, and a large male 
black cat was found entire in its stomach.- 
One of these, a young bird, about five feet 
in height, was brought up tame, and pre- 
sented to the chief of the Bananas, where Mr. 
Smeathman lived; and being accustomed to 
be fed in the great hall, soon became familiar, 
duly attending that place at dinner time, and 
placing itselt behind its master’s chair, fre- 
quently before any of the guests entered. 
I he servants were obliged to watch it narrow- 
ly, and defend the provisions with switches in 
their hands ; but notwithstanding this, it would 
frequently snatch off somewhat; and it once 
purloined a whole boiled fowl, which it swal- 
lowed in an instant. The individual above- 
mentioned used to fly about the island, and 
roost very high among the silk-cotton trees, 
whence at two or three miles distance it could 
spy the dinner carrying across the yard, 
when, darting from its station, it would enter 
promiscuously with the women who carried in 
the dishes. It sometimes stood for near half 
an hour alter dinner, with the head turning 
alternately, as if listening to the conversa- 
tion. 
3. Ardea ciconia, or white stork of Ray, has 
naked eye -balls, and biack prime wing fea- 
thers. 1 he skin below the feathers, as also 
the beak, feet, and claws, are of a blood-co- 
lour. It is a native of Europe, Asia, and 
Africa, and feeds upon amphibious animals. 
It is such an enemy to serpents, that it is reck- 
oned almost a crime to kill a stork. From 
this favourable treatment, they are seen in 
Holland and the Low Countries walking un- 
concerned in the middle of the streets. Storks 
are birds of passage ; they spend the summer 
in Europe go off to Egypt, Ethiopia, &c. all 
at once before winter, and do not return till 
about the middle of March. 
4. Ardea garzetta, or egret, is crested be- 
hind ; the body is white, the beak black, and 
the feet greenish. It. is a most elegant bird. 
It weighs about one pound, and the length is- 
24 inches, to the end of the legs 32. It is a, 
native of the east. But that formerly it was 
very frequent in Britain, appears by some of- 
