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ARCTOMYS MONAX (Linn&) (Scrreper). 
THE GROUND HOG OR WOOD OBUCK, 
— Specific Character.—-Tail, with the hairs, about half as long as the body and 
head, or a little less. Colour varying from nearly pure black all over, to grizzled 
above, and bright chestnut red beneath. Feet always black, or dark brown. 
_ Tail usually black, sometimes annulated grayish. Length 15 to 18 inches. Hind 
- foot over three inches. 
| Habitat—Kastern region of the United States and northward through 
~ Ontario. 
Average Size.—Equal to that of a cat with short legs. 
Average Weight.—8 pounds. 
Average Height.—6 to 8 inches. 
Average Length.—17 inches; nose to tail, 13 inches; tail, 4 inches. 
Value of Fur.—Valueless. 
The Ground Hog is common all over Ontario. In form it is thick and 
_ clumsy, the neck being short and the head set apparently on the shoulders. The 
E head is broad and flat, legs short and thick, tail short, full, and bushy, and some- 
~ what flat. 
7 There is a shallow cavity between the jaw andcheek about half an inch in 
_ depth which takes the place of an internal pouch. 
The whiskers are in five horizontal series on each side. There are about five 
large hairs in each series, all however are short and do not extend back to the 
/ ear. 
Another set of whiskers (four hairs in the set) is seen above the anterior 
_ canthus of each eye, extending obliquely upwards and backwards. 
. On each cheek again, and about as distant from the eye and ear as these are 
a from each other, is a clump of long hairs about five or six in number. 
al - 
There is alsoa tuft of bristles under the chin, as well as some scattered 
shorter ones in advance of these and near the edge of the lip. 
o 
es 
e 
Bs The eyes are small and the ears very short. 
wie The feet are large, the palms and soles being entirely naked. The thumb of 
___ the hand or forefoot is rudimentary, being little more than a wart, and but for 
the broad short nail with its underlying pad would be scarcely appreciable. 
‘. 
2 eS The predominant colour of the outer surface of the hair is black, but on the 
_ shoulders, neck, cheeks, and the whole under parts, there is a distinctive grayish 
_ white, and there is a distinct whitish ring round the muzzle. 
‘The ground hog is of no value as a fur bearing animal. 
It lives in burrows and passes the winter in a state of torpidity. Its food 
_ consists of grass, clover, and grain. 
The female produces two or three young at a birth, in the month of June. 
