74 A DESCRIPTION OP 
strength and agility. He will often walk on bis hinder 
legs, and uses his fore paws to feed himself, like the 
squirrel. The Marmot makes his hole very deep, and 
in the form of the letter Y, one of the branches serving 
as an avenue to the innermost apartment, and the other 
sloping downwards, as a kind of sink or drain ; in this 
safe retreat, he sleeps throughout the winter, and if dis- 
covered may be killed without appearing to undergo any 
great pain. These animals produce but once a year, and 
bring forth three or four at a time. They grow very fast, 
and the extent of their lives is not above nine or ten years. 
They are about the size of a hare or cat, but much more 
corpulent. When a number of Marmots are feeding to- 
gether, one of them stands sentinel upon a wall ; and on 
the first appearance of a man, a dog, an eagle, or any dan- 
gerous animal, he utters a loud and shrill cry, as a signal 
for immediate retreat. The Marmot inhabits the highest 
regions of the Alps; and is likewise found in Poland, 
Ukraine, and Chinese Tartary. 
THE GUINEAPIG. fCavia Cobaya.) 
THIS animal is generally white, with spots of red and 
black. He is a native of the Brazils, but now domesti- 
cated in most parts of Europe. This animal is less than 
the rabbit, and its legs and neck are so short, that tlie 
former are scarcely seen, and the latter seems stuck upon 
its shoulders. Guineapigs, though they have a disagreea- 
