FIELD BOOK OF MAMMALS 



for utterance. It sits upright like a Prairie-dog upon occasions 

 and often displays great curiosity. Impulsive and nervous in 

 behavior, it may come close up to an intruder or become 

 suspicious and be very difficult to observe. 



These Squirrels are prolific and rear several families a year, 

 the young numbering from four to twelve in a litter. 



Genus Cynomys ^ 



Dentition: Incisors, {; Canines, ^ ; Premolars, f ; Molars, f = 22. 



Prairie-dog. — Cynomys ludovicianus 



and related forms 



Names. — Prairie-dog; Barking Squirrel; Burrowing 

 Squirrel; Prairie Squirrel; Wishtonwish; Petit Chien. The 



Prairie-dog 



name in most common usage is Prairie-dog, the other names 

 listed appearing, for the most part, only in journals and 

 narratives of early explorers, such as Lewis and Clark, Pike, 

 and Brackenridge. 



General Description. — A heavy-bodied, robust, terrestrial 

 Squirrel, short- tailed, social in habit, and with characteristic 



^For a full revision of the Prairie-dogs see N. Hollister, North American 

 Fauna, No. 40, 1916. 



