Feb., 191 2. Mammals of Illinois and Wisconsin — Cory. 153 



PlUofUom 



Pile of U 



Entrance 

 on slope of liill 



Entrance 



n ilopeojKal. 



4p Bin.deip. 



Plan of a Woodchuck Burrow. 



Mr. W. H. Fisher of Cincinnati, Ohio, has pubHshed an interesting 

 paper on the burrows of this animal.* He examined 9 burrows: the 

 longest was 47 feet 11.50 inches (for all the galleries) and the shortest 

 was 6 feet 8.50 inches; the greatest depth (measured from the surface) 

 was 49 inches. Some burrows had three entrances, a few only one, but 

 the majority had two. 



Each burrow is generally inhabited by a pair of Woodchucks, 

 although occasionally by a single old male. The young are born in 

 their underground home late in April or early in May and usually 

 number from four to six, but occasionally as many as 8 are found in a 

 litter. They are very small and blind at birth and do not come out of 

 the hole until they are four or five weeks old and the weather becomes 

 quite warm. 



Regarding the habits of this animal Kennicott says, "In this part 

 of Illinois it was exceedingly rare ten years ago, but is now becoming 

 quite common. It is an inhabitant of the woods, where it occupies the 

 place that the spermophiles do on the prairies; and though it burrows 

 in open fields, and in the timber, I am not aware that it ever lives on 

 the prairie, though I have seen it in prairie groves. In the East, it 

 inhabits open fields in preference to deep woods. This love for open 

 ground is probably acquired. Here I have most commonly observed 

 it in the heaviest timber, and it is said to be found most abundantly 

 in Missouri ... It is very watchful, and, when feeding, will 

 frequently stand erect, with neck stretched as high as possible, and look 



* Journ. Cincinnati Soc. Nat. Hist., XVI, 1893, pp. 105-123, pis. 6-10. 



