154 Frecp Museum or Natura History — Zoézocy, Vor. XI. 
suspiciously about. . . . Only a single pair of adults occupy the 
same burrow. The hibernation of the woodchuck is as profound as 
that of the spermophiles. Naturally this animal is strictly herbivorous. 
Though living in the woods, it does not eat nuts, nor gnaw bark, nor 
am I aware.that it ever digs roots. It is not a tree climber, though it 
sometimes crawls up a leaning tree, or into the thick branches of bushes 
overgrown with vines, on which it is fond of lying in warm sunny days. 
In this vicinity I have often found a number of them taking refuge in 
standing hollow trees, entering a hole at the ground, and climbing up 
the cavity in the manner of the gray rabbit.” (/. c., p. 83.) 
Woodchucks do not store up food in their burrow for winter use, as 
they hibernate during the cold months. Regarding this strange con- 
dition of suspended animation Dr. C. Hart Merriam writes,* ‘In 
hibernation the temperature of the animal approximates that of the 
surrounding atmosphere, the heart action slackens and respiration can 
only be detected by means of delicate instruments devised for the 
purpose. This fact was known to Spallanzani nearly a hundred years 
ago, for he wrote to Senebier, ‘You will remember about my Marmot 
which was so exceedingly lethargic in the severe winter of 1795; during 
that time I held him in carbonic acid gas for four hours, the thermometer - 
marking — 12°; he continued to live in this gas which is the most deadly 
ofall . . . at least,a rat and a bird that I placed with him perished 
in an instant.’”’ 
The following account of the habits of a tame Woodchuck is given 
by Audubon and Bachmanj, as related to them by the Hon. Daniel 
Wadsworth of Hartford, Connecticut. ‘‘I kept,’ said he to us, ‘a fine 
Woodchuck in captivity, in this house for upwards of two years. It 
was brought to me by a country lad, and was then large, rather wild, 
and somewhat cross and mischievous; being placed in the kitchen, it 
soon found a retreat, in which it remained concealed the greater part 
of the time every day. During several nights it attempted to escape 
by gnawing the door and window sills; gradually it became more quiet, 
and suffered itself to be approached by the inmates of the kitchen, 
these being the cook, a fine dog, and a cat; so that ere many months had 
elapsed, it would lie on the floor near the fire, in company with the dog 
and would take food from the hand of the cook. I now began to take 
a particular interest in its welfare, and had a large box made for its 
use, and filled with hay, to which it became habituated and always 
returned when inclined to repose. Winter coming on, the box was 
placed in a warm corner, and the Woodchuck went into it, arranged its 
*Mamm. Adirondack Reg., 1886, p. 243. 
+ Quadrupeds N. Amer., I, 1854, pp. 20-21. 
