34 SQUIRRELS AND OTHER FUR-BEARERS 



can make very good time, but he seldom trusts 

 himself far from his hole, and, when surprised in 

 that predicament, makes little effort to escape, 

 but, grating his teeth, looks the danger squarely 

 in the face. 



I knew a farmer in New York who had a very 

 large bobtailed churn-dog by the name of Cuff. 

 The farmer kept a large dairy and made a great 

 deal of butter, and it was the business of Cuff to 

 spend nearly the half of each summer day tread- 

 ing the endless round of the churning-machine. 

 During the remainder of the day he had plenty 

 of time to sleep and rest, and sit on his hips and 

 survey the landscape. One day, sitting thus, he 

 discovered a woodchuck about forty rods from 

 the house, on a steep sidehill, feeding about near 

 his hole, which was beneath a large rock. The 

 old dog, forgetting his stiffness, and remember- 

 ing the fun he had had with woodchucks in his 

 earlier days, started off at his highest speed, 

 vainly hoping to catch this one before he could 

 get to his hole. But the woodchuck, seeing the 

 dog come laboring up the hill, sprang to the 

 mouth of his den, and, when his pursuer was 

 only a few rods offj whistled tauntingly and went 

 in. This occurred several times, the old dog 

 marching up the hill, and then marching down 

 again, having had his labor for his pains. 



