220 WATCHED BY WILD ANIMALS 
I found the underground works of the dogs 
similar in other railroad cuts. None of the 
holes reached water, in fact, they were extra 
dry in the bottom. 
Prairie dogs in common with many species 
of plants and animals of the arid districts re- 
quire and use but little water. Dogs do without 
water for weeks except such moisture as is 
obtained from plants eaten. A part of each 
year the plants are about as dry as dog bis- 
cuit. 
There were from a few dozen to a thousand 
dogs upon or in an acre; from a few holes to 
more than one hundred in an area the size of 
a baseball diamond. 
Although the plains had numerous large and 
populous places there were leagues without a 
single dog. Apparently the dogs keep on the 
higher and the well-drained land. 
One day I watched some fat, happy puppies 
amusing themselves. They played, but without 
much pep, while mothers remained near to guard 
and to admire. 
Prairie dogs often play. But never, I think, 
alone like the grizzly. In groups and in hun- 
dreds they played the universal game of tag. 
They were fat and low-geared and their running 
gallop made an amusing effort to get somewhere. 
There were several boxing exhibitions, or 
