THE PRAIRIE-DOG TOWN 



somehow they seemed to touch a sympathetic 

 chord in Sam's nature. He could be seen almost 

 any evening before sundown, sauntering with 

 long, deliberate strides down the hill from his 

 dugout and across the meadows to the homes 

 of these little animals. When Sam first began 

 paying his visits to the prairie-dog town the 

 little creatures were very suspicious of him. 

 The " Mayor," as Sam called the largest of the 

 prairie-dogs, was generally to be seen sitting 

 upon the hillock that stood on the highest ele- 

 vation of the town. He seemed to be on guard 

 as he sat and peered in all directions with his 

 large brown eyes. If he discovered any sus- 

 picious looking object in the distance he would 

 instantly give a shrill, sharp little bark of 

 alarm. It was from this peculiar short yelp 

 that these pretty little creatures received their 

 name and not from any relationship they hold 

 to the dog-family. They are cousins to their 

 neighbors, the ground-squirrels. When the 

 Mayor uttered his bark of alarm, every prai- 

 rie-dog that was out in the town rushed madly 

 for his home where he mounted the hillock of 

 dirt and sat bolt upright in front of the hole, 



