THE WAYS OF THE WOODCHUCK 219 



his fighting, but in the construction of his defensive 

 works, his burrow. If you will take careful note next 

 summer, on your walks, of all the woodchuck-holes 

 you come across, you will 

 probably be surprised to find 

 in how many cases the animal 

 can secure an outlook of con- 

 siderable radius either from the 

 mouth of the hole or a point 

 conveniently near it. It may 

 be in the open pasture, when 

 it is more likely to be on a 

 slope than in a hollow, thus se- 

 curing both outlook and better 

 drainage. It may be among 



rocks, but within easy distance His burrow usually 

 r n -, . ! -, commands a wide pros- 



of some peak which commands p ect 

 a prospect. It may be in the 

 woods, in or under a fallen log, but the chuck can 

 climb the log to look about. It may be among 

 the scrub growth by an old stone wall, and you 

 will say, " Ha! here is an exception!" But do not 

 be too hasty. Some day, passing the spot, you will 

 see a shrewd face and a fat body up on the wall. 

 The woodchuck "digs in" like a modern army. 

 But, like an army, he also puts his trenches where 

 they can command the approaches. 



Any boy who has skinned a woodchuck has been 

 impressed by the thickness and toughness of the 

 hide over the head and neck, and in the shoulders. 

 This thickness, I suppose, has been developed by 

 its habits of burrowing, and is due in no small meas- 

 ure to the fact that an animal which makes a tunnel 



