48 WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS 



Most ground-hogs were not seen after early 

 September. Many of those around me dug a 

 new den. A number who had summer dens out 

 in the meadow by rock piles moved back into the 

 woods. The entrance ways to dens in which 

 hogs were hibernating appeared to be partly 

 plugged a foot or two beneath the surface. 

 There was no plan that I could see for coming 

 out on Ground-hog Day. Each winter den ex- 

 amined had a short tunnel which led off into the 

 gravel and in the end of this tunnel there was 

 buried excrement. Evidently when a wood- 

 chuck enters his den for the winter he plans to 

 stay inside until spring. 



Two nights in advance of Ground-hog Day 

 I arrived down the mountain at the home of my 

 friend George. I wanted to be on time. George 

 was still strong for signs and all this mysterious 

 weather lore. After I had related a number of 

 my observations and facts I had read or heard, he 

 continued to believe but he wanted to see what 

 might be discovered. 



Ground-hog morning was absolutely clear. 

 There was five inches of snow; we wanted snow 

 because there was a dispute among the prophets 

 as to whether the shadow of the ground-hog 

 would count if not seen on the snow. We were 

 two miles from the house when the sun came up. 

 We wondered if ground-hogs were early risers 



