Woodchuck 417 



The Genus Marmota (Frisch., 1775) comprises large 

 rodents that have: form, stout; tail, short and bushy; ears, 

 very short; thumb on front paws, a mere knob, with a nail, 

 the other four fingers with claws; 5 well-developed toes on 

 hind-feet; very small cheek pouches. 



I— I 2—2 ^— ^ 



Teeth: Inc. ; prem. ; mol. ^^ =22 



i-i i-i 1,-1, 



In addition to the generic characters the Canada Wood- 

 chuck has: 



Total length, about 24 inches (610 mm.); tail, 5^ inches size 

 (140 mm.); hind-foot, 3 inches (76 mm.). 



Weight of adult, 9 to 10 lbs. I have seen an adult 

 female that weighed only 3 lbs. 



Above, yellowish brown, with pepper-and-salt effect made colour 

 by the white tipping to the long blackish hairs; head, dark 

 brown, becoming whitish on the cheeks and sides of muzzle; 

 paws, nearly black; below generally, brown, but tinged strongly 

 with orange, especially on the legs. Tail, blackish brown, with 

 some white tipping to the long hairs. In Minnesota specimens, 

 the black of the crown reaches far below the eyes; in New 

 England specimens it does not. 



The near neighbours of monax may be thus distinguished 

 from it: 



M. caligatus Eschscholtz, is a much larger and in general 

 of whitish gray, with black feet and crown; the warm tints 

 confined to the tail and rear. 



M. flaviventer Aud. and Bach., is much like motjax but yel- 

 lower below; its whole face is blackish brown, becoming ab- 

 ruptly white on chin and lips; its throat very dark chestnut, 

 sharp against the white of the chin. 



M. dacota Merriam, is larger and of a general golden colour, 

 with black crown and face and brown tail; its white chin re- 

 calls fiaviventer. 



