. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. 134 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD The Dormice. There are a considerable number of animals, even here, which hibernate. Most of these feed largely on insect food, which in winter is unobtainable in any great quantity. Conse- quently the hedgehog and the badger, which hve largely on snails and worms, go to sleep in the famine months. So does the sleepiest of all—the Dormouse. This alone would show that this little rodent probably feeds on insects very largely, for if it only ate nuts and berries it could easily store these, and find a good supply also in the
. Mammals of other lands;. Mammals. 134 THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD The Dormice. There are a considerable number of animals, even here, which hibernate. Most of these feed largely on insect food, which in winter is unobtainable in any great quantity. Conse- quently the hedgehog and the badger, which hve largely on snails and worms, go to sleep in the famine months. So does the sleepiest of all—the Dormouse. This alone would show that this little rodent probably feeds on insects very largely, for if it only ate nuts and berries it could easily store these, and find a good supply also in the winter woods. It has been recently proved that dormice are insectivorous, and will eat aphides, weevils, and caterpillars. But a dormouse hibernates for so long a time that one might imagine its vitality entirely lost; it sleeps for six months at a time, and becomes almost as cold as a dead animal, and breathes very slowly and almost imperceptibly. Mr. Trevor-Battye says that if warmed and made to awaken suddenly in the winter it would die in a minute or two, its heart beating very fast, " like a clock running ; Before their hibernation dormice grow very fat. There is a large species, found in Southern Europe, which the Romans used to eat when in this fat stage. In, winter dormice usually seek the nest of some small bird, and use it as a sleeping-place. They pull out^and renew the lining, or add a roof themselves. Into the interior they carry a fresh supply of moss, and sleep there in great comfort. Their great i tiny at i i:) time is i i; weasel. There are tuo main groups of the dormice, divided by natural- ists in reference to the structure of their stomach. The South African Graphiures have short tufted tails. The hibernating habit is confined to the more northern species. The Mouse Tribe. This family, which includes the Mice, Rats, and Voles, contains more than a third of the number of the whole order of Rodents. Some are arboreal, others aquatic ; but mos
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