68 NEW-YORK FAUNA. 



THE WOODCHUCK. 



Arctomys monax. 

 plate xxi. fig. 4.— (state collection.) 



Mus monax. Lin. 12 Ed. p. 81. 



Arctirmys, GmelIN. 



Maryland Mannot. Penn. Arct. Zool. Vol. 1, p. 111. 



Arctomys mmiax. Harlan, Fauna Amer. p. 158. 



Maryland Mannol. GoDMAN, Am. Nat. Hist. Vol. 2, p. 100, figure. Griffith, Rdgne Animal de Cuvier, Vol. 3, p. 



170, figure. 

 The Woodchuck. Richardson, F. B. A. Vol. 1, p. 153. Emmons, Mass. Rejort, 1840, p. 64. 



Characteristics. Adult, reddish grey ; head and neck reddish brown ; sides of the nose ashy ; 

 beneath bright reddish. Tail uniform with the body, its tip slightly darker, 

 Young, rufous, or uniform black. 



Description. Body robust and clumsy. Head broad, conical, tapering suddenly to the snout, 

 which is blunt and somewhat truncated. Ears short, broad and rounded as if truncated, two and 

 a half inches apart ; hairy within and without. Eyes moderate, black. Whiskers numerous, 

 two and a half inches long ; a group of three or four over the eyes, and a more numerous 

 collection on the posterior part of the cheek beneath the ears. Toes well divided and long. 

 On the fore feet the claws are longest, slightly curved, and the one next to the internal longest. 

 Thumb rudimentary, with a small nail. Hind feet semipalmate, with the claws channelled 

 towards the tips, the three middle claws subequal ; palms of the fore feet with five tubercles, 

 three in front and two larger behind. On the hind feet, four irregular tubercles at the base of 

 the toes, and two or three unconspicuous ones behind. Length of the soles, 2" 5. Tail bushy, 

 sub-distichous, expanded towards the tips. Fur composed of a short wool, and mixed with 

 coarse hairs, which are longest on the foreshoulders and flanks ; on the head, chin and feet, 

 short, subrigid and adpressed. 



Color, subject to many variations, but the following are most constant : The short fur is 

 dark brown at base, and ferruginous at the tip ; through this appear long subrigid hairs, black 

 for two-thirds of their length, and white at the tips. From this results a color which may be 

 designated as reddish grey. On the summit of the head the color is of a uniform shining 

 reddish brown, being ferruginous where it joins the grey of the back ; the reddish brown 

 extends beneath the eyes, and within 0'5 of the extremity of the nose. The chin and space 

 around the nose, ash grey ; the nose brown. Upper parts of the fore and hind legs and body 

 beneath, deep reddish. Feet covered with blackish brown hairs. Tail resembling in color 

 the upper part of the body, darker towards the end, which is tipped with reddish. From a 

 remarkably fine adult specimen caught in May, and of which we have given a figure, we are 

 enabled to add the following particulars : On the back the hair dark slate at the base, and 

 light rufous at the tips ; the longer hairs are black, annulated near the tips with grey ; hence 

 results a general dusky grey on the anterior part of the back, the flanks, sides of the neck. 



