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JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY 
by A. H. Howell in his monograph, “Review of American Marmots,” North 
American Fauna, No. 37, 1915. 
A short time after the marmot “Fauna” appeared, 1 collected a number of wood- 
chucks in Vermont and sent skins and skulls to Mr. Howell, who kindly examined 
them. He pronounced them all (seven, if I remember rightly) Marmota monax 
rufescens and remarked that some further revision of New England woodchucks 
would be necessary. In his review he writes that material from northern New 
England is lacking. The specimens sent Mr. Howell were from Rutland, from 
Ferrisburg, in the Champlain Valley, and two from Lunenburg on the east side of 
the state near the Canada line. There were none from Hartland and immediate 
vicinity but it is reasonable to suppose that the woodchucks there are the same as 
in Rutland, 35 miles away. — George L. Kirk, Rutland, Vt. 
ANOTHER TREE-CLIMBING WOODCHUCK 
The recent article by Mr. Harold St. John in the Journal of Mammalogy 
(II, No. 4, 1921, 207), concerning “A Tree-climbing Woodchuck” prompts me to 
relate my own experience with another tree-climbing individual in Iowa. 
On July 2, 1914, while doing some field work to which I was assigned by the 
director of the Iowa Geological Survey three miles northwest of Waukon, Iowa, 
I disturbed an adult woodchuck {Marmota monax monax) which was feeding in an 
open pasture. Immediately the animal gave a sort of grunt and galloped toward 
a small white oak a short distance away. On arriving at the tree which was 
between eight and ten inches in diameter, it did not hestitate at all but climbed, 
without apparent difficulty, to the first limb which was at least eight feet above 
the ground. So great was my surprise that I stopped and stared at the wood- 
chuck for a moment, then slowly walked toward the tree. The rodent partly lay 
across the lowermost limb eyeing me and breathing heavily after its exertion. 
After watching it for a few minutes, during which time it remained in the same 
position, I secured a heavy club and dispatched it by breaking its back so that 
the skull was left intact. The latter is preserved in the University Museum as 
accession no. 25697. 
An examination of the greatly distended stomach revealed only clover, grass, 
and other vegetation. Unfortunately I did not secure a photograph of the animal. 
This species is very common in the driftless, hilly area of northeastern Iowa 
where it does considerable damage and as a consequence of which a vain effort is 
being made to control it through the bounty system. — Dayton Stoner, University 
of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa. 
WOODCHUCKS CLIMB TREES 
Mr. Harold St. John, in the November, 1921, issue of the Journal of Mammalogy 
relates the case of the woodchuck, Marmota monax prehlorum, climbing a tree and 
shows a photograph as evidence. He seems to think that such an occasion is 
unique and farther states that he had difficulty in convincing people of the fact. 
I can assure Mr. St. John that I have frequently seen woodchucks climb trees. 
Two or three incidents stand out vividly. When a boy on the farm at home I 
on two occasions stoned woodchucks out of trees where some farm dogs had chased 
them. As I recall, both of these chucks were small and immature, but a few years 
