hanging rocks, or between the chasms, or around the trunk of some tree. The way to these heaps is marked by a worn path; and, in many places, the plants appear scattered, as if to be dried in the sun and properly harvested. The heaps are formed like round or conoid ricks; and are of various sizes, according to the number of the society employed in forming them. They are sometimes about a man's height, and usually three or four feet in diameter.

Thus the animals wisely provide their winter's stock: without which, in the cold season, they must infallibly perish; for they are prevented by the depth of snow, from quitting their retreats in quest of food. They select the best of vegetables, and crop them when in the fullest vigor. These, by the very judicious manner in which they dry them, they make into excellent hay. The ricks they thus form, are the origin of fertility among the rocks; for the relics, mixed with the dung

THE OGOTONA HARE-CALLING HARE.

313 of the animals, rot in the barren chasms, and create a soil productive of vegetation.

These ricks are also of great service to such persons as devote themselves to the laborious occupation of Sable-hunting; for, being obliged to go far from home, their Horses would often perish from want, had they not the provisions of the Alpine Hares for their support.

The people of Jakutz are said to feed both their Horses and cattle on the remnant of the winter stock of these Hares. As food, the Alpine Hares are themselves neglected by mankind; but they are the prey of numerous animals.

THE OGOTONA HARE.

The Ogotona Hare is somewhat more than six inches in length, of a pale brown color above, and somewhat white beneath; and is entirely destitute of tail.

These little creatures live under heaps of stones, or in burrows which they form in the sandy soil, and which have

two or three entrances. Their nest is formed of soft grass; and the old females, for greater security, make several burrows near each other, in order that, if disturbed, they may have a secure retreat. They feed in the night; and their voice, as in the last species, is like the note of the Sparrow, but much more shrill.

THE OGOTONA HARE.

Their principal food is the tender bark of trees, and different kind of herbs. Before the approach of severe weather, even in the spring of the year, they collect a store of vegetables, with which they fill their holes. These operations are considered by the inhabitants, to be certain signs of the approaching change of weather. In autumn, directed by the same instinct as the former species, they form ricks of hay, of an hemispherical shape, about a foot high and wide. In the spring, these heaps are gone, and nothing but the relics are seen.

The Ogotona Hares inhabit all Mongolia, and beyond the lake Baikal, where they are found in great abundance. The females produce their young-ones in spring, and, by the end of June, these are fully grown.

THE CALLING HARE.

This is a smaller species than the last, but has a great resemblance to it in form. The head is thickly covered with fur; the ears are large and rounded; the legs are very short, and the feet furred beneath. The fur on the whole animal is soft, long, smooth, and of a brownish lead-color, and the hairs are tipped with black. On the sides of the body, a yellowish tinge prevails.

These are solitary animals, and rarely to be seen, even in the places

where they are most common. They choose for their habitations some dry spot amidst bushes, and covered with a firm sod; and prefer the western sides of the hills. In these they burrow, leaving a very small hole for the entrance, and thence forming long and intricate galleries, in which they make their nests.

Their voice alone betrays their abode: it is like the piping of a Quail, but somewhat deeper, and so loud, as to be heard at a great distance. It is repeated, at equal intervals, three, four, and often six

THE CALLING HARE.

observed to attack one

times successively. The female is silent for some time after parturition, which is about the beginning of May. She produces six young-ones at a litter; towards which she exhibits great affection.

These most harmless and inoffensive animals never go far from their holes; they feed and make their little excursions by night. They are easily tamed, and seldom attempt to bite, even when handled. The males, in confinement, are another, and they express their anger by a They are natives of Pussia.

THE CHINCHILLA.

From the various specimens of fur sent to this country it would

GROUP OF CHINCHILLAS.

THE CHIN CHILLA.

appear that there are two species of the Chinchilla, but it is not certain. The length of the Chinchilla is about nine inches, exclusive of its tail, which measures about five.

This pretty little animal is an inhabitant of the valleys in the mountain districts of South America. In such situations the cold is often very intense; but the long soft fur of the Chinchilla forms an effectual protection agains the frosts. The fur is extensively used for clothing, and celebrated for its soft and warm texture. Numbers of these animals are

annually destroyed for the sake of their skins, and Coquimbo appears to be the place where they are taken in the greatest numbers.

The Chinchilla lives in society like the Rabbit, and resides in burrows dug in the ground. Its food is entirely vegetable, and principally consists of bulbous roots. In captivity it is quiet and inoffensive, but seems to betray no particular attachment to its keeper; neither does it seem playful. Its tail, covered with long bushy hairs, is usually held turned up over its back, like that of the Squirrel, and probably for the

same reason.

THE LAGOTIS.

This animal, classed as one of the Chinchillido, resembles a Rabbit in size and general shape, but the tail, which is equal in length to the whole body, gives it a very different appearance. It is a jumping

animal and has its hind legs nearly twice the length of the fore ones. The bristly hairs of its whiskers are thick and black. It has long ears, soft downy hair, long and beautiful. It is found in Chili.

THE animals belonging to this order have several wedge-like front teeth in the lower jaw, and none in the upper. Their feet have cloven hoofs. They live on vegetable food; and all the species ruminate, or chew their cud.

IN the lower jaw of the Camel there are six front teeth, which are somewhat thin and broad. The canine teeth are at a little distance both from these and the grinders: in the upper jaw there are three, and in the lower two. The upper lip is cleft, or divided.

The disposition of the animals which constitute the present tribe, is in general so mild and inoffensive, that, when they are either bred in a state of domestication, or caught young and trained to labor, they become extensively serviceable to mankind. In hot and sandy regions they are employed as beasts of draught and burden. Their pace is usually slow; but, being able to sustain themselves, even on the longest journeys, with a very small portion of food, and to undergo fatigues which few, perhaps no other animals could endure, some of the species are an invaluable acquisition to the inhabitants of the district where they are found.

The number of species hitherto described is seven, of which only two are found on the old continent, the rest being confined to the alpine countries of Chili and Peru. In a wild state they are supposed to be gregarious, and to associate together in vast herds. The females

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