M U S. 243 
place the berries they have colle&ed, in a heap, on the 
middle ; and then, by their united force, drawing it to 
the water’s edge, launch it, and embark, placing them¬ 
felves round the heap, with their heads joined over it, and 
their backs to the water, their tails pendent in the ftream, 
and ferving the purpofe of rudders.” 
/ 3 . M. glareolus. This, from Mr. Schreber's figure, ap¬ 
pears to be about the fize of a common moufe, and of an 
uniform pale ferruginous colour, whitilh beneath : the 
head feems very large, and without any vifible diftinftion 
of neck ; the body tapering from the fhoulders ; the limbs 
fmall and (lender, and the tail about an inch long : the 
eyes very fmall; the ears entirely hid in the fur, and the 
aiofe rather inclining to a (harp form. It was obferved by 
Mr. O. F. Muller, in the year 1777, in the ifland of Laland, 
among fome fea lyme-gral's (Elymus arenarius), growing 
on the fand near the Ihore. Nothing particular is known 
of its manners; and it remains doubtful whether it be a 
diltinft fpecies, or a variety of the ceconomic moufe. 
32. Mus laniger, the woolly moufe : hair very long and 
fine ; fore-feet tetradadlyle, hind-feet pentada&yle, tail of 
middling length. The woolly moule is a South-American 
fpecies ; and is a native of Chili,, where it refides in fub- 
terraneous retreats, in a gregarious manner, and feeds on 
various kinds of roots. It breeds twice a-year, bringing 
five or fix at a time. It is laid to be an animal of a very 
mild and gentle difpofition, very eafily tamed, and often 
rendered domeftic. The ancient Peruvians are faid to 
have manufactured various valuable articles from its fur, 
which is of a woolly nature, long, and of exquifite finenefs. 
This fpecies is of a cinereous colour, and meafures about 
fix inches : the ears are very fmall; and the nofe fhort. 
33. Musarvalis, the meadow-moufe: dulky-ferruginous 
above, deep a(h-coloured beneath, with ears longer than 
the fur, and fubtetradaftylous fore-feet; tail very Ihort. 
This fpecies, which is very common in our own ifland, is 
readily diftinguilhed from the reft of the Britilh fpecies by 
the Ihortnefs of its tail; the animal meafuring, according 
to Mr. Pennant, fix inches from nofe to tail, and the tail 
being only an inch and a half long. It is a general inha¬ 
bitant of Europe, and even extends to Siberia. It is alfo 
found in equal plenty in many parts of North America. 
In its manners it refembles the Mus fylvaticus, or field- 
moufe ; but is more commonly found in moift rather than 
dry fituations. It makes its neft in meadows, and pro¬ 
duces a litter of about eight at a time. Its favourite food 
is corn, which it amafles during harveft-time. It is fre¬ 
quently found in corn-ricks and barns, and often in com¬ 
pany with the harveft-moufe, as well as with the field- 
moufe. Dr. Shaw fays, “ I know not how to reconcile 
the difference between the meafures attributed to this 
fpecies by M. de Buft'on and Mr. Pennant ; the former 
fixing its length at three inches, and the latter at fix. It 
probably varies much in different climates ; and accord¬ 
ingly M. de Buffon tells us, that he had feen fome which 
meafured four inches and three lines from nofe to tail. 
He alfo records a fpecimen, taken in the park of Verfailles, 
which was entirely of a blackilh afh-colour, and which 
had a tail of greater length than ufual.” Mr. Pennant 
has recorded a remarkable inftance of attachment in the 
meadow'-moufe to its young. One, which had been re¬ 
duced into an iron trap by placing its brood in it, was fo 
intent on foftering them as to appear quite infenfible to 
its own ftate of captivity. 
34. Mus focialis, the fecial moufe: pale-grey above, 
white beneath, with very fhort rounded ears, fubtetra- 
da&yle fore-feet, and tail of half an inch in length. The 
focial moufe is a native of the Cafpian deferts between 
the Volga and the Yaik, and the country of Hircania. It 
lives in low fandy fituations, in large focieties ; the ground 
in many places being covered with the little hillocks 
formed by the earth call out in forming the burrows, 
which are faid to be about a fpan deep, with eight or more 
paflages: they are fond of tulip-roots, which forma prin¬ 
cipal article of their food. They appear chiefly in the 
fpring, when they are very numerous, but are rarely feen 
in autumn ; and are fuppofed either to migrate in autumn, 
or to conceal themfelves among the bullies, See. and in 
the winter to Ihelter themfelves in hay-ricks. The head 
in this fpecies is thick, and the nofe blunt; the whilkers 
white; the ears oval and naked; the limbs Ihort andftrong, 
and the tail (lender. 
35. Mus lagurus, the hair-tailed moufe: tail very Ihort; 
body cinereous, white beneath ; ears (horter than the 
fur, fubtetradaftylous fore-feet, and a black line all along 
the back. This fpecies is of a fine pale brown above, with 
blackilh hairs intermixed, and has a black dorfal line or 
ftripe running from the nofe to the tail, which is extreme¬ 
ly Ihort and villofe, fo as to referable the feut of a hare in 
miniature: the throat, belly, and feet, are white. This 
little animal delights in dry fandy plains of the harder 
kind, where it can form its burrows : it feeds chiefly 011 
the roots of the dwarflris (Iris pumila), but alfo on grain 
and feveral other plants and feeds, even fuch as are bitter, 
as the Pontic and fea wormwood. It is an animal of a 
fierce difpofition. The length of this fpecies is between 
three and four inches. It inhabits Siberia, and particu¬ 
larly the parts above the Yaik, Irtilh, and Jenefei. It is 
an animal that fleeps much, rolling itfelf up like the mar¬ 
mot ; and fometimes migrates, in great troops, from one 
part of the country to another. 
36. Mus torquatus, the collared moufe : body ferrugi¬ 
nous, with dulky variegations ; ears fhorter than the fur ; 
interrupted white collar, and black fpinal ftripe ; fore-feet 
five-toed; tail Ihort. This fpecies is a native of thole 
parts of Siberia which border on the river Oby, and makes 
occafional migrations. Its fize is that of a large meadow- 
moufe : its colour on the upper parts is an elegant ferru¬ 
ginous, variegated with numerous fmall dulky undula¬ 
tions; and round the neck is a white collar, while the 
forehead and top of the head are dulky, which colour 
curves down beyond the cheeks on each fide, fo as to form 
a dulky collar next to the white one : the cheeks are 
white, as is alfo the belly : the bread and fides are tinged 
with light orange-colour : the tail is extremely Ihort, and 
is brown, tipped with white hairs. This fpecies is faid to 
feed chiefly on the rein-deerlichen (Lichen rangiferinus) 
and the viviparous billort (Polygonum viviparum), the 
roots of which are often found in its holes or burrows, 
which are formed with feveral paflages dug under the 
turfy foil. 
37. Mus lemmus, the lemming: tail Ihort; ears fhorter 
than the fur, pentadadlylous fore-feet; body white be¬ 
neath, variegated above with black, white, and fulvous. 
The wonderful migrations of this fpecies have long ren¬ 
dered it celebrated in the annals of natural hiftory : it is 
remarkable, however, that noaccurate figure of it was pub- 
lilhed till Dr. Pallas caufed it to be engraved in his excel¬ 
lent work on the Glires. The firft del'criber of the lem¬ 
ming feems to have been Olaus Magnus, from whom fe¬ 
veral of the older naturalifts have copied their accounts. 
Afterwards Wormius gave a more particular defeription; 
fince which, Ricaut in the Philoiophical T ran fait ions, 
Linnaeus in the A6ta Holmienfia, and Dr. Pallas in his 
publication before-mentioned, have ftill farther elucidated 
its hiftory and manners. The lemming differs in fize and 
colour according to the regions it inhabits : thofe which 
are found in Norway being almoft as large as a water-rat, 
while thofe of Lapland and Siberia are fcarcely larger 
than a fiekl-moufe; the Norvegian meafuring more than 
five inches from nofe to tail, while thofe of Lapland and 
Siberia fcarcely exceed three. The colour of the Norway 
kind is an elegant variegation of black and tawny on the 
upper parts, difpofed in patches and clouded markings : 
the fides of the head and the under parts of the body 
being white ; the legs and tail greyilh. I11 the Lapland 
kind the colour is chiefly a tawny brown above, with 
fome indiftinft dulky variegations; and beneath of a dull 
white : the claws are alfo l'maller than in the Norvegian 
animal. The head of the lemming is large, Ihort, thick, 
3 and 
