200 
THE STORY OF THE PRAIRIE DOG . 
its burrow at the sound of the rifle now reappeared, and seemingly reckless of 
all danger, seized the dead body and dragged it into the hole. Such-an instance 
of intelligence and devotion touched me deepfy, and from that day to this I 
have never shot a prairie dog. 
The prairie dog, as it is popularly called, is found in plenty along the course 
of the Missouri river, and throughout the great section of country known as 
the American Southwest and its tributaries. It congregates in vast numbers, 
in certain spots where the soil is favorable to its subterranean habits of life and 
the vegetation is sufficiently luxuriant to' afford it nourishment. The color 
of this animal is a reddish-brown upon the back, mixed, with gray and black in 
a rather vague manner. The length of the animal rather exceeds sixteen inches, 
the tail being a little more than three inches long. The cheek pouches are about 
three-quarters of an inch in depth, and are half that measurement rn diameter. 
The prairie dog is a burrowing animal, and the spot on which it congregates 
is literally honeycombed with its tunnels. There is, however, a kind of order 
observed in the “dog-towns,” as these warrens are popularly called, for the 
animals always leave certain roads or streets in which no burrow is made. The 
