ARCTOMYS, the rnartnot, in natural history, a genus of the Ntammalia class of animals, of which the generic charac ter is, front teeth two in each jaw, strong, sharp, and cuneated ; grinders in the up per jaw, five on each side, in the lower jaw four ; clavicles or collar bones per fect. This genus differs but little from the Mus tribe, so that naturalists have sometimes doubted whether they should be separated into distinct genera. They are diurnal animals ; feed on roots, grain, and fruits, which they often collect in heaps. They reside in subterraneaus holes, and become torpid in the winter. The head is gibbous, or rounded, with short ears, or none ; body thick ; tail short ; hairy ; fore feet four-toed, with a very short thumb ; hind feet five-toed ; cceeum large. There are eleven species, of which we shall notice the following : 1. Arctomys marmota, or Alpine marmot : ears short, round ; body brown, beneath reddish. It inhabits dry open places, on the summits of the Alps and Pyrenees ; feeds naturally on roots, herbs, and in sects; when tamed it will eat any thing that is offered; drinks little ; basks in the sun ; lives among small tribes, with a cen tinel placed, to give notice of danger, which is done with a hiss ; forms a bur row, with many chambers and entrances, for the summer ; another lined with soft grass, in which it remains torpid duriAg winter ; it eats with its fore paws ; walks on its heels, often erect ; is easily caught when out of its burrow ; in a tame state very destructive of food, cloaths, and fur niture; hardly kept awake in winter, even in warm chambers ; gravid seven weeks, and brings from two to four at a time. These animals make no provision for the winter, but as soon as the frosts set in they carefully stop up the entrances to their mansions, and gradually fall into a state of torpidity, in which they con tinue till the beginning of spring, when they awake and commence their excur sions. Before they retire to winter quar ters they grow excessively fat, and appear very emaciated on first emerging from them. If carefully dug up during the winter, they may be conveyed away in their sleeping state, and when brought into a warm chamber gradually awaken.
A. Empetra, orQuebea marmot, is rather larger than a rabbit, with short ears and a round bead. It inhabits Hudson's Bay and Canada. A. monax, or ground-hog, is found in various parts of North America, and in its habits and manners is very like that already noticed. The marmot, when
taken young, may be easily domesticated, and taught to perform various gesticula tions, such as holding a stick, dancing, &c. See Plate II. alammalia, in which will be seen the hamster and lemming, sometimes called the Lapland marmot ; descriptions of these will be round in the article Mos. A bobac, or grey marmot, is a native of the high, but milder and sunny sides of mountainous countries, which abound with free-stone rocks,where it is found in dry situations. It frequents Poland and Russia, among the Carpathian hills : it swarms in the Ukraine, about the Boristhenes, and between this river and the Don, and along the range of hills which extend to the Wolga. It is found about the Yaik, and inhabits the southern desert in Great Tartary. It is not to be seen in Siberia, on account of its northern situation, and rarely reaches in Kamschat ka as high as 55°. The colour is grey above, with the throat, inside of the limbs, and under parts of the body, fulvous or ferruginous ; the tail is short, rather slen der, and full of hair. Its manner of life resembles the Alpine marmot. The holes of these animals are lined with the finest hay, and in such quantities, that, it is said, enough has been found in a single recep tacle to feed a horse for a night. A. ci tillus, or variegated marmot, is the most beautiful of all the species : in size it differs very much : some are as large as the Alpine marmot, and others not larger than a common water rat. The variega ted marmot inhabits Bohemia and other parts of Germany, from the banks of \Volga to India and Persia, through Sibe ria and Great Tartary to Kamschatka, and even the continent of America. It is not certain that these sleep in the winter like others of the Arctomys genus. breed in the spring, and produce from five to eight at a time. They are said to be 'miscible and quarrelsome among themselves, and their bite is very severe. They feed not only on animal food, but on small birds and other animals, which they will kill. They are easily tamed, and will grow familiar in a few days. are extremely clean, and after feeding ge nerally wash their faces, and clean their fur. Like other domestic animals, they are fond of being caressed, and will feed from the hand. Their sleep is profound during the whole night, and in cold and rainy weather through the greater part of the day. See Plate 11. Mammalia, fig. 1, 2, and 5.