/!iirro7rs of' the American Manual. 109 



EXCAVATION H. 



Excavation B was located not far from excavation A, in 

 similar soil, on the same elevation as A, but somewhat sloping 

 at its southern end. The burrow was provided with three 

 entrances, hole No. i to the north ; hole No. 2, five feet and a 

 half in an air line from No. i ; and hole No. 3, still farther to 

 the south, and distant from hole No. 2 in a direct line eight 

 feet. The distance between holes Nos. i and 3, in a straight 

 line, was thirteen feet and nine inches. Hole No. i was out 

 in the meadow and so was hole 3, but entrance No. 2 was 

 under an old stump, overshadowed by an elder bush and 

 surrounded b3' raspberry bushes. It will be observed from 

 hole No. I that the runway extends forty-five and a half 

 inches to A, then turns and runs south of south-east thirty- 

 three inches to B, and then, in an almost straight line thirty- 

 seven inches, proceeds to C. From hole No. 2 a runway 

 extends north-east in an almost straight north-east line to B, 

 a distance of seven feet, two inches, where it intersects the 

 first runway. From hole No. 3 a runway extends a little 

 west of north for six feet, eleven inches, and then in a north- 

 erly direction, but a little more to the west, for three feet and 

 one inch to D, where it intersects the runway from entrance 

 No. 2 to B. As to depth, the runway, from entrance No. i to 

 the point C, was a continual descent, the point C being of a 

 remarkable and uncommon depth, to-wit : forty-seven inches. 

 At B it was a not unusual depth, viz.: thirty-seven inches. 

 The runway from B to D continues about on the same level, 

 and so does the runway from D to rear entrance three, but as 

 the surface of the ground descends the runway gets nearer to 

 the surface. At N, some thirty inches from entrance No. 3, 

 occurs a nest or lair. 



Three points of added interest, deducible from a comparison 

 of this excavation with excavation A, are : First. The run- 

 way, from entrance No. i to C, continually descends till it 

 reaches the depth of forty-seven inches. Second. The farther 

 end C of the picket or blind runway, from B to C, is such that 

 if moisture enters the runway, this point C would be- the 

 wettest. On the other hand, it would be the warmest for 

 hibernation. Third. The lair or nest does not occur at the 



