26 THE ARCHITECTURE OF BIRDS. 
in form, with an opening at top capable of admitting 
the finger; and the whole is so firmly compacted, 
that it might, without injury. be rolled over the floor. 
It is delightful, during the fine weather, to see these 
lively little creatures sporting about the entrance of 
their burrows, which are always kept in the neatest 
repair, and are often inhabited by several individu- 
als. When alarmed, they instantly take refuge in 
their subterranean chambers ; or if the dreaded dan- 
ger be not immediately impending, they stand near 
the brink of the entrance, bravely barking and flour- 
ishing their tails, or else sit erect to reconnoitre the 
movements of the enemy. The mounds thrown up 
by the marmot in the neighbourhood of the Rocky 
Mountains have an appearance of greater antiquity 
than those observed on the far-distant plains. They 
sometimes extend to several yards in diameter, al- 
though their elevation is trifling, and, except imme- 
diately surrounding the entrance, are clothed with 
a scanty herbage, which always distinguishes the 
area of these villages. Sometimes several villages 
have been observed almost entirely destitute of ve- 
getation; and recollecting that the marmot feeds ex- 
clusively on grasses and herbaceous plants, it seems 
singular that this animal should always choose the 
most barren spot for the place of his abode. How- 
ever this may be accounted for, it at least affords an 
opportunity of beholding the approach of his ene- 
mies, and allows him to seek, within the bosom of 
the earth, that security which he has neither strength 
nor arms to command. 
“In all these prairie-dog villages, the burrowing 
owl is seen moving briskly about, or else in small 
flocks scattered among the mounds; and, at a dis- 
tance, it may be mistaken for the marmot itself when 
sitting erect. ‘They manifest but little timidity, and 
allow themselves to be approached sufficiently close 
for shooting; but if alarmed, some or all of them 
soar away, and settle down at a short distance. If 
