FIELD BOOK OF MAMMALS 



claws strong and adapted for digging; thumb small, rudimen- 

 tary, with flat nail; pelage long, coarse, with shorter, softer 

 underfur. Color above, brownish or yellowish. Living in 

 burrows in the ground or in piles of rock. 



Color.— Sexes colored alike. 



Upperparts. — Brownish, with grayish or reddish wash, 

 having a grizzled appearance because of intermixture of 

 whitish, buffy, or cinnamon-colored hairs; underfur dark gray 



Fig. 44. Woodchuck 



at base, but tipped with ochraceous or cinnamon; longer hair 

 parti- colored, brownish tipped with light buff to white; head 

 darker, Vandyke-brown; whitish or buffy areas on sides of 

 face, nose, lips, and chin; forelegs and feet black to dark 

 brown; hind legs tawny; tail from black to dark brown. 



Underparts. — Varying from, buffy whitish to tawny or 

 brownish, the bases of the hairs being blackish brown. 



Young. — Colors not as rich as in adults. 



Measurements. — Males larger than females. Males: total 

 length, 26-27 inches; tail vertebrae, 6 inches; hind foot, 3.5 



184 



