RODENTIA. 127 



one third larger than P. volucella. P. dlpinusj of the Rocky 

 Mountains, is still larger. 



II. Arctomydae, (Gr. agxros, arktos, bear; [tvs, mus, mouse.) 

 MARMOTS. 



This family is nearly allied to the Squirrels, among which 

 Swainson places them. Sometimes they have been arranged 

 with the RATS. They have a large and somewhat flattened 

 head, ten molars above and eight below, heavy body, short bushy 

 tail and short limbs. Some of the species have cheek pouches. 

 They live in communities and all burrow and hybernate. 



Spermophilus, MARMOT SQUIRRELS, sometimes ranked as a 

 sub-genus, (Gr. ansgua, sperma, seed ; and cpilog, pliilos, lover.) 



This includes animals so named by Cuvier from their fondness 

 for seed, and furnished with cheek pouches. Of them there are 

 several species. One of these is S. ludovicianus, (Lat. ludo, to 

 sport or frisk ; vicinia, vicinity or neighborhood,) so named be- 

 cause living and sporting together in large communities. This 

 is the Prairie Dog of Missouri and California, an appellation 

 which Audubon says was probably given to the animal from its 

 yelp, "chip, chip, chip ; " it is not like a dog in its form. The 

 numbers of these animals are very great ; they sit on their little 

 mounds at the entrances of their burrows, " chirping and chatter- 

 ing to one another like two neighboring gossips in a village." 

 (Hon. C. A. Murray.) 



Arctomys, MARMOT. Of this genus there are also several spe- 

 cies, which have the form, teeth, and habits of the preceding, 

 but only rudimentary cheek pouches. A. alpinus, the ALPINE 

 MARMOT is about the size of a rabbit, of a grayish yellow color, 

 approaching to a brown towards the head ; inhabits the mountains 

 of Europe, particularly the Alps and Pyrenees, just below the re- 

 gion of perpetual snow, and feeds on insects, roots and vegeta- 

 bles. Living in societies, these animals post a sentinel that gives 

 a shrill whistle if danger approaches, when they retire for safety 

 into their ingeniously contrived burrows. 



A. monax. WOODCHUCK, GROUND HOG, or MARYLAND MAR- 

 MOT. This, when full grown, is of a reddish gray color and 

 about as large as a rabbit ; the young are reddish or of a uni- 

 form black ; its wool is intermixed with long coarse hair ; it has 

 short ears and cheek pouches ; the length is a little more than 

 two feet, though in this respect as well as color, it greatly va- 

 ries. The range of this marmot extends from Maine to California. 

 It dwells in subterranean abodes, which are partitioned into cham- 

 bers, feeds on clover and esculents, is easily tamed, and very 

 neat and cleanly in its habits. In some places it selects forests 



