THE LURE OF THE PLAINS 101 



of ten and had been up at dawn. When we were dressed 

 we followed the Mongol to the first burrow where a fine 

 marmot was securely caught by the hind leg. A few 

 yards away we had another female, and the third trap 

 was pulled far into the hole. A huge male was at the 

 other end, but he had twisted his body halfway around 

 a curve in the tunnel and by pulling with all our strength 

 the Mongol and I could not move him a single inch. 

 Finally we gave up and had to dig him out. He had 

 given a wonderful exhibition of strength for so small an 

 animal. 



It was especially gratifying to catch these marmots so 

 easily, for we had been told in Urga that the Mongols 

 could not trap them. I was at a loss to understand 

 why, for they are closely related to the "woodchucks" 

 of America with which every country boy is familiar. 

 Later I learned the reason for the failure of the natives. 

 In the Urga market we saw some double-spring traps 

 exactly like those of ours, but when I came to examine 

 them I found they had been made in Russia, and the 

 springs were so weak that they were almost useless. 

 These were the only steel traps which the Mongols had 

 ever seen. 



The marmots {Marmota robusta) were supposed to 

 be responsible for the spread of the pneumonia plague 

 which swept into northern China from Manchuria a few 

 years ago; but I understand from physicians of the 

 Rockefeller Foundation in Peking, who especially 

 investigated the disease, that the animal's connection 

 with it is by no means satisfactorily determined. 



