ST. JOHN — TREE-CLIMBING WOODCHUCK 
207 
A TREE-CLIMBING WOODCHUCK 
By Harold St. John 
[Plate 16 ] 
In June, 1920, the New England Botanical Club held its annual 
spring field trip in the upper Connecticut Valley. To Mr. Richard 
J. Eaton and myself was assigned a territory including Quechee Gulf 
in eastern Vermont. On the afternoon of the 12th, we had clambered 
along the base of the cliffs on the north side of this deep gorge, and at 
the lower end crossed the Ottauquechee River and started up the hill- 
side to the south of the river into the town of Hartland. In the midst 
of an open pasture I stooped to dig a prostrate plant, and as I rose I 
saw that Eaton, who had walked ahead towards a clump of trees, had 
stopped and was beckoning to me. He had scared a woodchuck from 
the open ground and it had run to the trees and climbed six feet up a 
tree eight inches in diameter. While it hung there watching us, I 
drew out my camera and took a snapshot at a distance of thirty feet. 
Still the woodchuck clung to the tree trunk, so I quietly approached to 
within six feet and snapped another picture, which is here reproduced. 
My companion then joined me and finally stepped up and stroked the 
animal on the back. This was to confirm what we saw, that the ani- 
mal had fur, not quills on its back, and to make perfectly sure that it 
was a woodchuck, not a porcupine. We were close enough to see that 
it was a female. On being stroked, she hitched around to the opposite 
side of the trunk. After hanging there a minute, she turned, dropped to 
the ground and scuttled off, disappearing in a thicket. 
Whenever I have related this incident, it has met nothing but 
incredulity. After my long acquaintance with the woodchuck in 
southern New England, I am afraid that I too would have been in- 
cHned to doubt the accuracy of anyone telhng me that woodchucks 
climbed trees. Yet Eaton and I certainly saw the thing done, and I 
am lucky enough to have a good photograph to substantiate my 
statement. It seems desirable to put this bit of field observation on 
record. 
State College of Washingtorij Pullman, Wash, 
