To6 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 



I may here remark that the price paid for these pelts is 

 small. 



I decided that I would investigate their burrows, and gather 

 as much information about their underground life as possible. 



I, therefore, prepared for action. I provided myself with 

 memorandum paper and pencil and a pocket tape line. My 

 photographic apparatus stood ready. The assistance of our 

 gardener, Joe, was promised when needed. 



I started out to make a preliminary survey. To tell you 

 the truth, I was very anxious to find a burrow in which a 

 woodchuck was known to live. Given two holes, one in 

 which a woodchuck was known to be and one in which it was 

 uncertain whether I would find him, and the instinct of curi- 

 osity and of the hunter so far predominated as to lead me to 

 decide to inve.stigate where the living plunder was to be had. 



One afternoon, the farmer, while ploughing over a field, 

 high and level, in which corn had been raised, and from which 

 the plough-share threw up the nests of jumping mice, 

 informed me that a woodchuck had a few minutes previous 

 gone down into a hole by a stump, standing far out in the 

 field. I summoned our faithful Joe, and each of us, armed 

 with a shovel, proceeded to the stump. Here we began to dig, 

 following down the hole. The latter ran under the .stump, 

 ramified a little, and then ran horizontally some two feet below 

 the surface for about five feet, and then descended rapidly 

 nearly two feet more in an additional length of some three 

 and a half feet. Not a sign did we see of our much sought 

 for woodchuck. 



During the excavation, we expected that every new spade- 

 ful thrown up would lay bare our much-sought-for treasure, 

 but it did not. Where that marmot had gone was an inex- 

 plicable mystery. We confronted the farmer and told him 

 that his eyes must have deceived him. He laughed and 

 stoutly affirmed he saw the woodchuck go into the hole, and 

 was satisfied he had not come out. As it was near supper 

 time, we gave up the unequal search, and, like a hunting dog 

 foiled in his trail, went slowly home, with our spades in hand, 

 wondering what had become of that woodchuck. 



The next day, as digging marmot holes was now my busi- 

 ness, I repaired to the open ditch we had yesterday dug and 



