18 The Woodchuck 
stop instantly and le very still whenever the wood- 
chuck raised himself on his haunches to look about 
for danger. When Shep believed herself to be near 
enough to the entrance of the burrow she would 
make a dash for it. If she reached it first, there 
was sure to be one woodchuck less to nibble the 
fragrant clover. | 
No animal exerts less energy in the course of a 
year than does the woodchuck. He feeds upon the 
best in the meadow and occasionally the garden, 
being particularly fond of the juicy peas and beans 
and tender lettuce. Then as winter comes on for- 
getting all care and worry he crawls into his burrow 
and, like the bear, falls asleep, not to awaken until 
the warm spring sunshine has touched with caressing 
fingers the slumbering world of nature. 
Some years ago while returning from the mill-pond 
where I had been fishing through the ice for pickerel, 
I came upon a man in the open field digging for a 
skunk, which he had tracked into what seemed to be 
a woodchuck’s burrow. As the man was evidently 
very near his game I waited to learn the result. The 
burrow branched, and following one of the branches 
the man came upon a little ball of fur, not the skunk 
he was after, but a woodchuck fast asleep. He was 
given to me and I took him home. When warmed 
