mAIIllE DOGS. 105 



liad been committed against the republic, and in 

 devising means of defence. An orator, mounted on 

 the summit of a clod, whereby he was raised above 

 the assembly, explained his views, plans, and 

 strategic principles, until, seized by a sudden dread, 

 the whole assembly would rush to the adjacent holes 

 and thence issue forth again only to recommence the 

 same games. It was the most curious thing possible 

 to observe the gasconading attitude of these marmots. 

 Sometimes they seemed read}^ to defy the lightning, 

 and then the}- fled at the least breath of air. 



When we had examined these little inhabitants of 

 the prairie at our leisure, it was proposed among us 

 that each should take aim at a marmot ; and when I 

 gave a cluck with my tongue we were all to fire 

 together. This was done, and when the smoke 

 cleared awa}', there was only one prairie dog on the 

 ground before us, and six who lay dead at the 

 mouths of their burrows. 



It is stated that the prairie dogs are not the only 

 inhabitants of these subterranean corridors, but 

 that they share them with the rattle-snakes and 

 owls. We wished to verify this, but were quite 

 unable to do so. We did not even see the tail of an 

 owl, nor did we hear the slightest indication of a 

 rattle-snake. The vulgar belief is, that the owls 

 who live with the prairie dogs are of a particular 

 kind ; that their eyes are brighter, their flight more 

 rapid, and their claws longer than the common owl ; 



