220 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 



I found the underground works of the dogs 

 similar in other railroad cuts. None of the 

 holes reached water, in fact, they were extra 

 dry in the bottom. 



Prairie dogs in common with many species 

 of plants and animals of the arid districts re- 

 quire and use but little water. Dogs do without 

 water for weeks except such moisture as is 

 obtained from plants eaten. A part of each 

 year the plants are about as dry as dog bis- 

 cuit. 



There were from a few dozen to a thousand 

 dogs upon or in an acre; from a few holes to 

 more than one hundred in an area the size of 

 a baseball diamond. 



Although the plains had numerous large and 

 populous places there were leagues without a 

 single dog. Apparently the dogs keep on the 

 higher and the well-drained land. 



One day I watched some fat, happy puppies 

 amusing themselves. They played, but without 

 much pep, while mothers remained near to guard 

 and to admire. 



Prairie dogs often play. But never, I think, 

 alone like the grizzly. In groups and in hun- 

 dreds they played the universal game of tag. 

 They were fat and low-geared and their running 

 gallop made an amusing effort to get somewhere. 

 There were several boxing exhibitions, or 



