The rodents are for the most part small animals, but their lack of
size is made up by their great numbers. They have in the upper as
well as in the lower jaw two chisel-like incisors, and from two to
six molar teeth. The latter are separated from the incisors by a
great gap. In the hares there are two little tack-like teeth behind
the incisors. The incisors wear away on the inside more than on the
outside, so that they are always very sharp.
The rodents feed chiefly on plants. Some of them collect food for
the winter; others sleep during the whole of that period. They
inhabit all parts of the globe, but are more numerous in North
America than anywhere else.
=Beaver= (_Castor fiber_).--The true beaver is now found in only a few
places in northern parts of Europe and Asia; but in North America a
variety of this animal, the American beaver (_Castor Canadensis_),
abounds in great numbers. It is now much hunted, as was formerly the
European variety, and the number of beaver furs sold in the markets
every year can be counted by thousands.
On the upper parts the fur is dark chestnut brown, while on the lower
parts it is lighter; its tail is almost bare, scaly, and twelve inches
long; the length of its whole body is thirty-two inches.
Beavers build lodges which contain many compartments, close to rivers
and lakes. These lodges consist of branches, tree-trunks, and mud, and
are divided into many different compartments. Such habitations are built
in pairs, one above the other, and lead into the water. As tools they
use their fore feet and their sharp teeth, by means of which they fell
stems of the thickness of twelve inches. They are shy, and do not leave
their homes before darkness in search of food, which consists of tender
barks and other vegetable matter. For the winter they collect large
stores of provisions. As the beavers are awkward on land, they try to
save themselves by jumping quickly into the water when pursued. They are
then in their own element, and are good swimmers and divers. They are
caught by means of nets and traps, which are placed close to their
lodges. Their soft furs are valuable. Though the subject of numerous
stories, the sagacity of the beaver is much exaggerated.
=Chinchilla= (_C. lanigera_), a South American rodent, well known by its
soft, gray fur. Two related animals form, along with the true
chinchilla, a small family in the porcupine section of the Rodent order.
All the three are somewhat squirrel-like animals, but have long hind
legs, bushy tail, very soft fur, and complete collar bones. The
chinchilla proper has a body about one foot long, and the tail measures
fully six inches. They are extremely active animals, and climb among the
rocks with the greatest agility. They are killed in thousands for the
sake of their fur.
=Dormouse= (_Muscardinus avellanarius_) is a pretty little animal, about
three inches in length, not including the bushy tail, which is almost as
long as the body. The general color is a beautiful tawny yellow, but
there is white on throat and breast. It is widely distributed and is
especially fond of hazel-copses. It feeds on nuts, seeds, berries, buds,
etc., grows very fat in autumn, sleeps intermittently through the winter
in a round grassy nest a little above the ground. The loir or fat
dormouse (_Myoxusglis_) is about twice the size of the common dormouse,
and has the hairs of the tail in two rows, as in squirrels. It is
ashen-gray, sometimes brownish above and white below. The favorite
haunts are in oak and beech woods.
=Hare= (_Lepus timidus_).--Hares and rabbits are of various colors, some
brown, some grey, while others are whitish; their ears are long; behind
the two front teeth, in the upper jaw, are two little tack-like teeth;
the small tail is black and white, and the body about sixteen inches
long. The name “hare” is given to the large forms, or types and “rabbit”
to the smaller. The hare is found in Europe and Western Asia. It is very
timid, and a nocturnal rather than a diurnal animal; but in a quiet
neighborhood it is also seen during the day. It does not leave the
district in which it was born unless it is forced to do so.
Hares multiply very rapidly, for they bring forth two to five young four
or five times a year, for which they construct a kind of nest. The old
animals choose a somewhat hollowed-out spot as their habitation, where
they are protected against the storms. As they are very fond of
cultivated plants, such as clover, carrots, turnips, young corn, and the
bark of young trees (especially of fruit trees), they do much damage in
fields and woods.
The RABBIT (_Lepus cuniculus_) is widely distributed in North America,
and there are numerous varieties. The Jack-rabbit of the west is the
largest. The original home of these sprightly little animals was Spain
and North Africa.
=Lemmings= (_Muodes lummus_).--These voracious little animals live in
the far north of Europe, and sometimes make migrations in vast numbers,
swimming across rivers and lakes, passing through towns and villages,
and climbing over mountains and rocks. Troops of birds of prey fly above
them, and they are followed by bears, foxes, martens, and weasels, so
that their migratory flocks often disappear as rapidly as they make
their appearance. They are about the size of a rat. The snowy lemming
turns white in winter.
=Marmot= (_Arctomys marmota_).--The upper parts of the marmot are
brownish black, its sides yellowish grey, while its lower parts are
reddish brown. It attains a length of sixteen inches, and is found in
both Europe and America. In North America, they are popularly termed
woodchuck or groundhogs. The marmots live together in social troops in
rocky caverns and feed on plants. In the autumn the marmots move into
their winter quarters. There they sleep through the whole winter,
huddled together in parties of three, five, and more, and apparently
lifeless. In this state they can be rolled about like balls without
being awakened until Spring, when they are usually hailed as weather
prophets. Marmots are easily tamed, and can be trained to perform many
tricks.
=Mice= are the best known of the rodents, which only too often do a
great deal of harm by their predatory habits. Of these the domestic
mouse (_Mus musculus_), a swift and pretty little animal, which is very
much attached to our larder provisions. Even the elephant, the largest
among animals, fears this tiny rodent.
The domestic rat (_Mus rattus_) became known in Europe in the twelfth
century, and probably emigrated from Asia. The brown rats did not appear
in Europe until the eighteenth century. They are stronger than the
domestic rats, which they drive away or devour. Their food generally
consists in kitchen refuse of all sorts. If driven by hunger they even
eat their own kind.
=Porcupine= (_Hystrix cristata_).--This is quite a remarkable animal. It
attains the size of a badger, and inhabits South Europe, Africa, and
North America. Like the hedgehog, it is provided with a peculiar muscle,
which enables it to erect a coat of spines whenever danger threatens,
and it is thus protected against foxes and jackals, which often share
the porcupine’s habitation, and would very much like to devour their
fellow-lodger. In European porcupines, the spines or quills attain a
length of from ten to twelve inches. Our American species has quills
about three inches in length. The fore feet are supplied with sharp
claws, which are very necessary to the animal for digging out its
burrow. During the day the porcupines remain hidden in their burrows,
but at night they go out in search of food.
=Prairie Dog.=--This small rodent animal of the squirrel family is found
on the plains east of the rocky mountains. It resembles the marmot in
appearance, and has well-developed claws on all the toes of the
fore-feet; shallow cheek-pouches. The best known species is about one
foot in length, and has a tail of about four inches. On the upper
surface it is reddish-brown, variegated with gray. These animals live
together in great societies on those portions of the prairies where the
buffalo grass grows luxuriantly. Here they excavate burrows in the
ground in contiguity to each other, and, when the little creatures are
out, quite a busy scene is presented. The name is given on account of a
resemblance between its cry and the bark of a small dog.
=Rabbit.= See Hare.
=Rat.= See Mice.
=Squirrel= (_Sciurus vulgaris_).--In the summer the squirrel is brownish
red on the upper parts and white on the lower parts; in the winter,
brown red and light grey mixed. The black, white, and spotted squirrels
are rare. The tail of the squirrel is bushy and arranged in two lines of
bristles; its ears are adorned with a tuft of hair. Squirrels prefer the
forests of trees with pointed leaves to those with broad leaves, and are
always in motion, being equally adept in climbing, running, and jumping
from tree to tree. They feed on nuts, acorns, seeds of fir trees, young
shoots, young birds, and birds’ eggs, and do a great deal of harm. They
collect large stores for the winter, which they hide in hollow trees.
Their nests are globular, and made of bark and leaves; they often build
on the top of an old magpie’s nest. Their greatest enemy is the tree
marten.