Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-03-26

BY the young Of the year and which
are soon abandoned. / have frequently
been told of woodchuck ..towns, =
their sentinels, and well-organized for.
aging expeditions, but can only say
that have always found this a solitary
species; perhaps in localities where
very numerous they may adopt other
, habits.
The food of this marmot is very va
rious, consisting of grasses. shrubs,
| seeds. roots and vegetables of many va
retles; l have also reason to believe
tnat 1t devours insects and grubs.
among cultivated plants it is most de-
structive to red clover, it being almost
) Impossible to grow it where the ground
nog is common. To the vegetable gar
,den 1t IS an occasional visitor, and does
81 'me damage. Although l have fire.
gu. 'ntly read of the injury done bv this
amin 'al to grain, 1 have never been able
to get any trustworthy account of the
| damage done, or have / ever seen q
| field of wheat, rye or oats injured in the
| least by IT,; it will make hearty meal
off a corn. field, however. when other
food is not plentiful
The woodcfA1ck is a good swimmer
and takes to the water readily; / have
the skull of large male, weigh
ing nearly eleven pounds, which
was killed by friend from boat,
while swimming lake above quarter
of M lie in width. Rocky, weilwooded
hills are it's favorite retreats, and the
old males are fond of taking position
on some exposed rock, sitting on their
launches and apparently acting as SEN
tinels, while their families 60 in search
of food; for this last, however, / can
not vouch, as 1 have surprised the
s'sentinel" evidently asleep, and he
may have been only enjoying his favor
lite sun-bath.
Many modes are used for the dispos-
ing of the woodchuck, and periodically
the rural press is deluged with direc-
tions for numbering the unfortunate
Arctomys. From being much chased.
trapped and tormented, it has become
very cunning animal, and is not cas-
lily captured or killed. There are sew
eral methods of absolutely exterminat-
ing this animal from any limited dis
trict, but of these it is not necessary to
speak here, as they are simply systems
OF torture. The steel trap carefully set
among leaves and grass, and baited
with handful of red clover, which is
better ghtly tied to bush about
foot directly above the trap, or with
sweet apple or a potato, the dead fall.
made with heavy log and a figure of
f." and allowed to set for days before
being baited, and the gun, are quite
sufficient to keep down the numbers of
this handsome animal.
Although this is not letter adj
dressed to lsportsmen, perhaps few
Dr.Ic IN, ard To oh No
ground hog may not be out of place.
have often wondered why this animal
has never been considered ''game;" its.
large size, the difficulty of getting
shot at it, and it's general activity
and cunning. should endear it
to the gunner. The flesh of young
woodchuck is also excellent eating,
and the strong, durable peits of the
old individuals make handsome rugs
and lap robes. stalking" is the
method best adapted for shooting
this marmot. In the early morning
or in the evening while the ''hogs"
are abroad. a cautious approach is
made to their burrows. the hunter con-
cealing himself as much as possible.
and taking the precautjon to adj
vance up wind. Where the animals
may have been much molested. it is
often very difficult to get within
shotgun range, and light rifle is
by far the better weapon. Once
within range victim is selected and
shot just behind the shoulder, as he
runs around feeding or playing. A
sharp whistle will often cause the
marmots to rear upon their launches to
look around. and SO afford a good shot.
They may also be approached while
intent on a well-known feeding ground,
in the same manner, and will then at
ford good running shots as they ''streak
it, for their burrows; or, they may be
killed as they stop for an instant to lis
ten during their retreat.
The woodchuck is perfectly tameable
when captured at an early age, and
shows much intelligence in captivity.
All the members of this genus become
very tame, and may be taught many
tricks. The Swiss peasant boys tame
the Alpine marmot (Arctomys mar
m1otta), and teach it to dance and per-
form various antics. This species lives
high up in the snowy regions of the
Alps, generally selecting exposed cliffs
for its home, in order to have clear
view of approach ng danger. A num-
Der of individuals are usually found to-
gether, and the sharp whistle of alarm,
known to all Alpine climb RS, from one
of them, sets the whole community
scampering for their burrows. Thismar
mot lives upon Alpine plants, and passes
the winter in torpid condition, ten or
fifteen animals gathering in a single.
large, rounded burrow. well lined with
dried grass. Their fur is used to make
various cheap robes, and their flesh,
though not as good as that of our mar
mot, is eaten by the peasants.-Ralph
Seiss, i'm Country Gentleman.