THE WOODCHUCK. 
VERY similar in its bodily struc- 
ture to the marmot, of which it 
is said to be the nearest Amer- 
ican relative, is the woodchuck 
or ground-hog {Arctomys monax). It 
is about eighteen inches in length, in- 
cluding the tail. The body is stout, 
the head broad and flat, the legs short 
and thick, the fur blackish or grizzled 
on the upper portion and of a chestnut 
red on the under surface of the body. 
The ground-hog is found in all parts 
of the region extending from the 
Atlantic coast west to the Missouri, 
Iowa, and Minnesota. It inhabits 
woods, prairies, and meadows, lives on 
roots, vegetables, and herbs, and is 
especially fond of red clover. Its 
burrows are large excavations, and in 
the early autumn it busies itself in 
storing provisions for its long winter 
retreat. It is said to be one of the 
first hibernating animals to retire to 
winter quarters and one of the earliest 
to come forth in the spring, the length 
of its retirement varying with the 
locality, and being shorter in the south 
than in the north. In the northern 
United States it usually retires about 
the first of October and reappears 
about the middle of March. A recent 
writer and close observer says that 
woodchucks hibernate in pairs, but he 
never knew one of these proverbially 
sleepy creatures to leave its hole until 
warm weather came — in spite of the 
alleged practice it has of coming out 
invariably onthesecond day of February 
to fix the weather for the rest of the 
winter. He took the trouble once to 
dig into a woodchuck's burrow on a 
Candlemas day — and a warm, cloudy day 
it was; just such a day as the ground- 
hog is said to choose to come out of 
his hole and stay out. He found two 
woodchucks in the burrow, with no 
more sign of life about them than if 
they had been shot. From all outward 
appearances he could have taken them 
out and had a game of football with 
them without their knowing it. When 
the animal begins its hibernation it 
carefully closes the entrance to its 
burrow. Dr. Bachmann, who had 
marked a burrow to which he knew 
a pair of woodchucks had retired, 
caused it to be opened early in Novem- 
ber, and found the two animals, per- 
fectly dormant, lying coiled up close 
together in a nest of dry grass, twenty- 
five feet from the entrance. 
The young woodchucks, of which 
there are from four to six in a litter, are 
born about the end of April. The 
mother takes tender care of them until 
they are able to shift for themselves. 
The woodchuck, when taken young, 
is easily tamed, and becomes an inter- 
esting pet. The little animal can be 
taught to come when called, to run for 
food when whistled to, and to answer to 
a name. One called Chuck was very 
fond of bread spread with butter and 
sugar. If plain bread were offered to 
him he would taste it, make a wry face, 
spit out the bit in his mouth, and throw 
away the piece he held, and then he 
would straighten himself up and hold 
out his shining black hands for bread 
with sugar on it. He always sat up 
stiffly on his hind legs when eating, and 
it was a comical sight to see him hold- 
ing a long banana in his arms, until he 
had eaten the whole of it, blinking his 
bright black eyes with satisfaction. 
Chuck was taught many tricks, to bal- 
ance a stick on his nose, swing in a 
trapeze, draw a toy cart, and the like. 
He was very affectionate and tractable. 
Early in September Chuck began to 
eat voraciously and soon became very 
fat, but in the first week in October his 
appetite failed; he ate at first once a 
day, then once in two days, and after 
awhile he became quite restless and 
stupid. He was given his liberty, and 
watched closely to learn his habits. 
He began gnawing grass, gathering 
dry leaves and tucking them in various 
corners. At length he found a place 
that suited him to dig, and then he 
began making his nest. When the 
excavation was complete Chuck dis- 
appeared for several days. One even- 
ing he tapped on the kitchen door. 
When the door was opened he ran to 
a basket of apples and ate one, then 
ate a slice of bread and sugar. He ap- 
peared crazy with haste, and as soon as 
he was through eating he scampered 
off, to be gone a long time. On the 
first day of February Chuck crept out 
