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its shadow it will not come out again for six weeks. 

 Ground Hogs may be caught in traps, but care is nec- 

 essary in handling them to prevent their biting. This 

 animal is found almost all over the United States and 

 Canada.* Their habitations have several entrances and 

 are so built that water cannot enter them. They are 

 cleanly in their habits, and make nice pets when tamed, 

 but are inclined to dig their way out of confinement, 

 as the rabbit. 



WEASEL. 



{Mustela Vulgaris.) 

 This is a very small animal and is useful to the 

 farmer in clearing away the rats and mice, which it 

 tracks with deadly accuracy. The body is long and 

 very slender; the teeth sharp and capable of inflicting 

 a serious wound. They always creep upon their prey 

 with the stealth of a cat, and when near enough spring 

 at their throat and give them a severe bite. They eat 

 the brain and suck the blood of the victim, but never 

 devour the flesh unless forced by hunger. Their color 

 is reddish brown above and light below, with a long 

 bushy tail. They live in old dilapidated buildings or 

 in stone heaps or other convenient hiding places. They 

 mostly hunt during the night. 



MUSK RAT. 



This animal is very common along the banks of 

 streams, where it makes long and curved holes leading 

 to the water and connected by several entrances coming 

 together at a center. They feed upon the roots of 

 grasses, weeds, and trees. The ground near where they 



