ARCTOMYS MONAX. 
1 5 1 
of his journeying there to drink. Hence it seems probable that the 
moisture which his system requires is derived from the juices of 
the plants on which he feeds, together with the dew or rain that 
may have lodged upon them. 
H avingf searched in vain for the record of an instance where a 
Woodchuck has been known to swim, voluntarily, I take great 
pleasure in being able to contribute an account of a case that 
recently fell under my personal observation. On the 12th of June, 
1883, while rowing up the Fulton Chain of Lakes, in company with 
Dr. A. K. Fisher and Walter H. Merriam, a Woodchuck was 
observed in the water directly ahead of the boat swimming across 
the channel between Second and Third Lakes. He swam deep, 
at times the top of his head and the tip of his tail alone appearing 
above the surface. He crossed from the north to the south shore 
and was evidently very much fatigued and somewhat confused, for, 
although I pushed the boat close after him as he was about to 
emerge, he only partly climbed out upon a small log that extend- 
ed into the water, and showed no inclination to move off, or even 
to change his position. He was poked several times with a stick, 
and finally Dr. Fisher actually stroked him with his hand before he 
became sufficiently aroused to show that he was aware of our 
presence. We left him standing partly upon the log, with one leg 
still in the water, shivering, and apparently in a very unhappy state 
of mind. This animal was young, and was evidently travelling 
about in search of a suitable place in which to establish his home. 
The Woodchuck can always be taken in a steel trap set with 
proper care, and concealed from view. By this means it is gen- 
erally easy to rid our fields of his presence. Dr. C. L. Bagg and 
1 once caught thirty-three Woodchucks in a large meadow during 
a single season. 
In a recent number of the American Field (Vol. XX, No. 10, 
Sept. 8, 1883, p. 225) I recorded the following very unusual occur- 
rence : On the 28th of July last, hearing a commotion among some 
