The Woodchuck 21 
he slowly awoke, but soon fell asleep again because 
Nature called for a longer nap. 
Let us select a representative woodchuck family 
and follow in a general way its career, from the time 
the young are born until they are safely settled in 
homes of their own. The cubs usually number four 
or five, and the date of their birth is not far from 
the tenth of May. The snug little chamber in which 
they are born is located two or three feet under the 
ground and contains a small cozy bed of dry grass 
gathered the previous fall. 
By the old rail fence just back of the orchard on 
my father’s farm lived a woodchuck family. The 
mother introduced herself one bright warm morning 
in the latter part of May, just as old Rover and I were 
starting out for a day’s fishing. The shrill whistle 
she gave was enough of a challenge for any boy and 
dog. So off we started full tilt in the direction of 
the sound. Of course Rover arrived first on the 
scene of action, and when I got there he stood thrust- 
ing his nose in at the entrance of the burrow, wagging 
his tail vigorously and giving utterance to the short 
quick yelps so characteristic of a shepherd dog. The 
burrow gave evidence of constant use, and for a 
moment my attention was divided between the in- 
terests of hunting and fishing. However, as my game 
