310 
HAMSTER. 
male, who but the hour before was the object of his 
attachment, he will now devour without remorse, 
unless she has activity enough to avoid, or strength 
enough to kill him. He ranks among the small num- 
ber of those which pass the winter in a torpid state. 
The hamsters construct their habitations different- 
ly according to their age, sex, or the quality of the 
ground. The male works an oblique subterranean 
passage, and disposes of the earth at the mouth, where 
it lies in a considerable heap. At a distance from this 
oblique passage there is a hole which descends per- 
pendicularly into the chambers of the lodging. As 
the mouth of this hole has no earth near it, it is 
probable that the oblique passage is dug from with- 
out, and the perpendicular hole begun from below 
and continued upward. The male and female have 
each separate dwellings, though they do not differ 
materially in their form from each other. The house 
of the female, however, is the deepest of the two ; 
and besides the oblique opening, it has two, three, 
or more perpendicular holes, that her young, if nu- 
merous, may pass in and out at pleasure. On each 
side of these perpendicular holes, at a proper distance, 
the hamsters of both sexes dig from one to four 
cavities in the form of vaults ; and, as these places 
are intended to serve as magazines for their grain, 
they always proportion their size according to the 
quantity of their provisions. 
The two holes are well contrived to produce a free 
circulation through the cavern. They prefer the 
upright hole for a common entrance, and only use 
