Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-04-17
1HE woopcHuck.

This large marmot, the Arctomys
o,oy of naturalists, is found from
uY}son's Bay to Virginia, and west to
.se Rocky Mountains, and in parts of
,,onv States is yet common. The color
- variable, but 1 have found grizzly
,,.av TO be the most usual; specimens
- , chestnut. and even blackish color,
ore sometimes seen. The under sur
t.ce is mostly reddish. The body of
this animal is thick and clumsy, and
,bc legs are short and muscular; the
thumb is rudimentary, and is provided
with a flat nail instead of a claw; the
tail is bushy. Average length of head
and body, nineteen inches; of the tail,
five and a half inches. Weight of a
LARGE. fat male, ten pounds.
The ground hog digs q burrow from
twenty to thirty feet in length, with a
iarre chamber at it's extreme end; in
his chamber is built a nest of grass
and leaves, and here the young are born
and the entire family live. Heaps of
stones, the base OF a large boulder, a.
an old stone wall are the sites general
IL chosen for the entrance to
the tunnel. The call of this
marmot is a shrill whistle; it seems
to be used only as a cry of alarm
or warning. When surprised at a
distance from its home, it runs rapidly
for a short distance. and then squats
for an instant to see if it be noticed or
pursued, and then runs OH again and
stops as before; so strong is this habit
that | have e e a woodchuck stop and
stare for a couple of seconds after a
rifle bail had struck the flat rock on
which it was crouched directly under
il, sending a little cloud of dust and
s%plinters of stone over the animal.
When chased by dogs it makes swift
progress, and if caught turns and fights
tcrcely, often oyermastering a dog Of
moderate size. Its powerful front teeth
inhict most deep and uglywounds. The
periods of activ ty of this marmot are
in the evening and the early morning;
during the middle of the day it gencr-
ally remains in it's burrow, though I
have seen them abroad at noon, espec-
tally i'll the autumn.
The woodchuck can climb trees in a
clumsy fashion, and occasionallymounts
10 !. low DlSAllSl4s IN l1lCIC SLlCGCuCS IL.
self out to enjoy the warm sunshine, of
which it is very fond. They also some
tines lean with their backs against a
tree trunk, sitting on their hind quar-
tiers with their under surface exposed
TO the hot rays. This species stores up
no supply of food for the winter, and
during the latter season retires to the
inmost chamber of its burrow, and be-
comes perfectly torpid. If dug out at
this time, they are found apparently in
animate, coiled into q sort of ball, with
the chin pressed against the abdomen.
In May or June the female brings
forth from four to six young. At the
end of three weeks, or rather longer,
they may be observed playing around
the entrance to the burrow, to which
they ut once retreat at the approach of
dlnger. At the age OF a few months
the young leave their parents and dig
lei themselves habitat:ons in the i'm
mediate neighborhood of their paternal
buFrow. The woodchuck cannot be
said to live in communities, although
at times a few inhabited tunnels
may be found together. When a
number Of tunnels are discovered close
to one another, it will generally be
found that the majority have been dug
are soon abandoned. l have frequently
been told of w%oodchuck clowns"
their sentinels, and well-organized for
aging expedit ons, but can only say
that | have always found this asolitary
species; perhaps in localities where
very numerous they may adopt other
habits.
The food OF this marmot is very va
Elous, consisting of grasses, shrubs,
seeds, roots and vegetables of many va
rlet!es: l have also reason to believe
that it devours insects and grubs.
Among cultivated plants it is most de-
%struclive to red clover, it being almost
impossible to grow it where the ground
hog is common. To the vegetable gar
den it is an occasional visitor, and does
some damage. Although l have fire.
qiently read of the injury done by this
animal to grain, l have never been able
10 get any trustworthy account of the
damage done, or have 1 ever seen a
,eld OF wheat, rye or oats injured in the
least by it; it will make a hearty meal
al a corn-field, however, when other
TODD is not plentiful.
The woodchuck is a good swimmer,
and takes to the water readily; l have
!'e skull of a large male, weigh
ing nearly eleven pounds, which
was killed by a friend from a boat,
while swimming alake above q quarter
Of a mile in width. Rocky, well-wooded
NUS are its favorite retreats, and the
Old males are fond of taking a position
on some exposed rock, sitting on their
launches and apparently acting as SEN
enels' while their families go in search
VI 1ood; for this last, however, I can
uo1 vouch, as l have surprised the
sentinel evidently asleep, and he
nay nave been only enjoying his favor
lite sun-bath.
Many modes are used for the dispos.
Ing OF the woodchuck, and periodically
tne rural press is deluged with direc-
IONS Tor numbering the unfortunate
t1rclomys. From being much chased,
trapped and tormented. it has become
livery cunning animal, and is not a
ny captured or killed. There are sew.
E ia methods Of absolutely exterminat'
my This animal from any limited dis