MAY. lis 



C. — But I have more game which you have not seen : I left 

 it in the kitchen, but I will fetch it. It is a curious animal. 



WOODCHUCK. 



(Arctomys Monaz). 



F^ — This is the Maryland Marmot (Arctomys MonaxJ ; 

 it is common in the temperate parts of this continent. In 

 some places it is called the Ground Hog, but here it is better 

 known by the name of Woodchuck. It feeds on cabbage and 

 other garden vegetables, young corn, &c. and devours vast 

 quantities, so that it is considered an injurious anim.al. He 

 retires underground about the middle of September, and is 

 generally very fat in spring. His burrows are long and cham- 

 bered, and he sleeps in these even during the summer, taking 

 care to make himself a soft bed, for he is very attentive to his 

 own comfort. He cannot run very fast, and generally makes 

 for his burrow if alarmed ; but he is easily caught by a dog. 



C. — Is the flesh good for food ? 



F, — It is often eaten, and I have partaken of it ; but the 

 flesh, and especially the fat, has a rank and rather disagree- 

 able taste. 



C, — I shot it in the woods, more from curiosity to know 

 what it was, than from any supposition of its being valu- 

 able. In entomology I have made some new captures : I 

 found in the woods the stump of a very large birch, which 



G 



