BURROWING OWL. 195 



The votaries of natural science must always feel indebted t. the learned 

 and indefatigable Say, for the rich collection of facts he has made when- 

 ever opportunities have been presented, but more especially in the 

 instance of this very singular bird, whose places of resort, in this coun- 

 try, are too far distant to allow many the pleasure of examining for 

 themselves. We feel doubly disposed to rejoice that the materials for 

 the history of our bird are drawn from his ample store, both on account 

 of their intrinsic excellence, and because it affords us an opportunity of 

 evincing our admiration of the zeal, talents, and integrity, which have 

 raised this man to the most honorable and enviable eminence as a natu- 

 ralist. 



In the trans-Mississippian territories of the United States, the Bur- 

 rowing Owl resides exclusively in the villages of the Marmot, or Prairie 

 Dog, whose excavations are so commodious, as to render it unnecessary 

 that our bird should dig for himself, as he is said to do in other parts 

 of the world, where no burrowing animals exist. These villages are 

 very numerous, and variable in their extent, sometimes covering only a 

 few acres, and at others spreading over the surface of the country for 

 miles together. They are composed of slightly elevated mounds, having 

 the form of a truncated cone, about two feet in width at base, and 

 seldom rising as high as eighteen inches above the surface of the soil. 

 The entrance is placed either at the top or on the side, and the whole 

 mound is beaten down externally, especially at the summit, resembling 

 a much used foot-path. 



From the entrance, the passage into the mound descends vertically 

 for one or two feet, and is thence continued obliquely downwards, until 

 it terminates in an apartment, within which the industrious Marmot 

 constructs, on the approach of the cold season, the comfortable cell for 

 his winter's sleep. This cell, which is composed of fine dry grass, is 

 globular in form, with an opening at top capable of admitting the finger ; 

 and the whole is so firmly compacted, that it might, without injury, be 

 rolled over the floor. 



It is delightful, during fine weather, to see these lively little creatures 

 sporting about the entrance of their burrows, which are always kept in 

 the neatest repair, and are often inhabited by several individuals. 

 When alarmed they immediately take refuge in their subterranean 

 chambers, or if the dreaded danger be not immediately impending, they 

 stand near the brink of the entrance, bravely barking and flourishing 

 their tails, or else sit erect to reconnoitre the movements of the enemy. 



The mounds thrown up by the Marmot in the neighborhood of the 

 Rocky Mountains, have an appearance of greater antiquity than those 

 observed on the far distant plains. They sometimes extend to several 

 yards in diameter, although their elevation is trifling, and, except imme- 

 diately surrounding the entrance, are clothed with a scanty herbage 



