26 HABITS OF THE PRAIRIE DOG. 
was often exercised for the amusement of my friends. At a 
peculiar chirrup of mine, they would quickly assume an erect post- 
ure, their fore paws hanging in front, their heads raised as high as 
possible, and with mouth turned upwards, give forth a sound so 
nearly resembling the yelp of a domestic puppy, as to confer on 
these peculiar animals, the familiar, though by no means appropri- 
ate, name of Prairie Dogs. At each cry they jerked their tails, as 
if it cost them an effort to speak so loud. They were very affec- 
tionate, seldom quarrelling, and often standing with their fore paws 
on each other’s shoulders, rubbing their noses together. I once 
discovered that one of them had crawled through a small hole, 
and was wandering about between the laths and outside of the 
building. As often as I called, it would answer, and at length 
discovering that it had found its way to the ceiling, I removed a 
board from the floor of the room above and releasing it, returned 
it to its companion. The demonstrations of affection which fol- 
lowed would put to shame many a couple of higher intelligence. 
The next day the other one had not been released ten minutes, 
when it too passed through the same hole, and probably following 
the track of its predecessor, was finally removed from the same 
opening. On being returned to its quarters, demonstrations were — 
indulged in, similar to those of the, preceding day. During the 
greater part of December, January and February, they lay in a 
dormant state, although there was usually a fire in the room six 
days in each week. They were generally found occupying the 
centre of their paper heap, coiled up in such a way as to resemble 
two small parcels of fur. Their temperature was so much reduced 
that they seemed cold to the touch, and often provoked the remark 
from strangers ‘‘’They are dead, stone dead.” They never opened 
their eyes, and showed by their actions that they desired nothing so _ 
much as to be let alone. Towards the close of February they 
began to exhibit signs of returning life, occasionally leaving their 
box, to which, however, they would soon return. Early in the 
spring I took them to my home a few miles from the city, and 
placed them in a large pen where they had abundant opportunity 
of enjoying their well known digging propensities. Having $€- - 
lected a corner they commenced their labors and were soon out of 
sight. In a few days they had raised a mound around the en- 
trance one foot and a half in height and two feet in diameter. 
Their under-ground work, however, seemed never completed, for. 
they were constantly throwing dirt from the hole. In digging: 
eee 
