lo The Woodchuck 



watch their clumsy first attempts. This lesson in 

 climbing, however, might sometimes be omitted, 

 but never a day passed that the little woodchucks 

 did not receive a lesson in danger signals. They soon 

 learned to distinguish, among the many sounds that 

 came to their ears, those that threatened harm and 

 danger from those that meant no harm at all. Al- 

 though Bob from the next farm nearly caught one 

 of the little fellows, they learned that a dog was not 

 a very dangerous foe, as his presence was usually 

 made known while he was some distance off; but 

 when a fox was in the vicinity — then was the time 

 to be wary indeed! 



By the middle of August the little cubs were pretty 

 nearly grown-up woodchucks, and the time was fast 

 approaching when the frolicsome days of babyhood 

 would be over and they would have to settle down 

 to the serious business of life, either finding a de- 

 serted burrow or digging one for themselves. It 

 would have been interesting could I have watched 

 the separation of this family and have known all the 

 circumstances leading up to it, but they "stole a 

 march" on me, and within a space of three days the 

 old burrow had but one occupant, the mother. 



Usually each woodchuck has a burrow by itself, 

 but occasionally a pair will live together through the 



