196 EVERYDAY ADVENTURES 



and rushed at his retreating opponent with exceeding 

 fierceness, there were always a few yards between 

 them, until Mr. Chuck disappeared at last down be- 

 tween two great stones in the wall. Then indeed 

 Paddy dashed in, and growled, and tore up the turf, 

 and stuck his nose deep down between the stones, 

 and told the world all the terrible things he would 

 do to that woodchuck if he could only catch him. 

 From the bowels of the old wall, between barks, 

 sounded now and then the muffled but defiant 

 whistle of the unconquered whistlepig. 



Finally, Paddy, with an air of having done all 

 that could be expected, gave some fierce farewell 

 barks and trotted off toward the farmhouse. 



Some people claim to have dug woodchucks out 

 of their holes. Personally I believe that it is about as 

 easy to dig a woodchuck out of its hole as it is to 

 catch a squirrel in its tree. They have a network of 

 holes, and have a habit of starting digging on their 

 own account when molested, and sealing up the new 

 hole after them, so that they leave no trace. 



Once, in company with another amateur natural- 

 ist, we tried to dig an old chuck out of its burrow. 

 After first stopping up all the spare holes we could 

 find, the naturalist dug and dug and dug and dug. 

 Then we enlisted two other men, and they dug and 

 dug and dug. After a while we came to a mass of 

 great boulders. Then we pressed into service a yoke 

 of oxen, and they tugged and tugged and tugged. 

 Said digging and tugging and tugging and digging 

 lasted the half of a long summer day. All together, 



