Читать книгу The Circle of Knowledge: A Classified, Simplified, Visualized Book of Answers - Various - Страница 253

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.