PurroTcs of the Ameticau Marmal. 115 



foeces were discovered, an uncommon find in their burrows. 

 At a- foeces and old straw. 



In one of the nests I found the skull of a marmot, but no 

 other portion of the skeleton. The nest was, if I recollect 

 aright, the one marked a'\ 



This find appeared to contradict the assertion made by a 

 farmer, that marmots would never live in a burrow where a 

 marmot had died. 



EXCAVATION I. 



Once more the scene changes again to the meadows, where 

 the burrows A and B were located. 



On Sept. 30, the digging began at 1130 A. m. 



The burrow was a plain and simple one. The entrance at 

 first led rapidly down, then gradually descended to point A\ 

 eighteen inches below the surface, and then at about the same 

 inclination of descent continued to B, twenty-two inches 

 below the surface. Down to this point the burrow was 

 through a sandy loam, but now descended quite rapidly 

 through a layer of indurated clay (hard pan), six inches 

 thick, for twenty-two inches to point C, here thirty-six 

 inches below the surface, and continued twenty and one- 

 quarter inches to D on the same level through a white sand. 

 Between points C and D, at 12 o'clock, just one-half hour 

 from when the digging began, we came upon a live, robust 

 marmot, ready to do and die in his own defense. After 

 reaching him, we watched him while a party was sent for a 

 canvas bag. 



Meantime the fellow gave us a specimen of his ability b}^ 

 filling up the hole in front of him and thus disappearing from 

 view. The time occupied in this operation was one minute. 



Having enjoyed this spectacle to our hearts' content, we 

 concluded to bag the animal ; so wedging down behind the 

 animal, and poking him with a twig while a party held the 

 bag in front of the hole we had again uncovered, the marmot 

 went out of the hole into the bag we held, and thus we caught 

 the fellow. 



EXCAVATION J. 



The last burrow excavated, viz.: J, was opened October 10. 

 It was located under a large tree, and not many rods from 



