THE WOODCHUCK 



47 



spring will open early and the cold weather will be of short dura- 

 tion. Of course there is no truth attached to this superstition and 

 the way in which it arose is merely a matter of conjecture. 



Pile of \ 



4ft Sm.dttp. 



Fig. 9. — Plan of a Wfoodchuck burrow. (From Field Museum of Natural 



History.) 



The woodchuck is more particularly a ground inhabiting species 

 and does not habitually climb trees. It is able, nevertheless, to 

 climb with a fair degree of skill. While walking along the road 

 near "Waukon, in northeastern Iowa, the writer once disturbed an 

 adult of' this species which had been feeding on the vegetation in 

 a nearby pasture. The animal galloped rapidly through the grass 

 to a small white oak tree a few yards distant and ran up the trunk 

 about ten feet without apparent exertion. The animal was soon 

 dispatched with a club, and on opening the stomach it was found to 

 be entirely filled with blades of green grass and the leaves and 

 stems of weeds. 



Food Habits, Economic Importance and Control Measures. — 

 Woodchucks are, for the most part, vegetarians in their food habits, 

 the favorite food being grasses and clover ; but if present in locali- 

 ties where truck crops are raised, they will eat pumpkins, beans, 

 cabbage, melons, young corn, etc. They are very fond of com 

 when it is in the milk, and often destroy much more than they eat 

 by breaking down the stalks and leaving the ears half-devoured. 

 The animals feed regularly morning and evening and often during 



