. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. THE LEMMING. VA most dauntless courage, standing on tlie defensive against botli men and animals, and biting very sharply at anything that comes within its reach. From time to time, from some unexplained cause, the Lemmings start in vast swarms from their mountain fastnesses, and make their way in a straight line in some definite direction. Nothing seems to turn tliem from their course; they go straight on, over hill and dale, and, although said at other times to have an aversion to water, they now swim across any lakes or rivers that come
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. THE LEMMING. VA most dauntless courage, standing on tlie defensive against botli men and animals, and biting very sharply at anything that comes within its reach. From time to time, from some unexplained cause, the Lemmings start in vast swarms from their mountain fastnesses, and make their way in a straight line in some definite direction. Nothing seems to turn tliem from their course; they go straight on, over hill and dale, and, although said at other times to have an aversion to water, they now swim across any lakes or rivers that come in their way. In this operation many of them lose their lives, for they require smooth water for their navigation, and the least breeze ruffling the surface sutiices to send hundreds of them to the bottom. In this way they graduallj^ arrive at the cultivated regions, where they do so much damage to vegetation, that in olden times a special form of prayer and exorcism was in use against them. Tlieir march is Jim mm \\il r^'. accompanied by great numbers of carnivorous beasts and birds of all sorts. Wolves, , and Wild Cats, and the smaller quadrupeds of the family Mustelidse, Eagles, Hawks, and Owls, all prey upon them with avidity—even the Reindeer is said to stamp them to death ; and the story of his eating them, long discredited, has been confirmed on good authority, while man, with his Dogs and Cats, is not behindhand in the work of destruction. Nevertheless, a great multitude survives all these dangers, and, strange to say, the termination of this painful migration is always the sea, into wliicli the survivors of the march plunge, and, apparently, voluntarily commit suicide. Mr. Crotch, who has published several papers on the Lemming and its migrations, says that in Norway these animals always proceed from the central backbone of the country in an east or west direc- tion, and that in either case the survivors of the march drown themselves, those that go westward in
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