The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1889-07-04
WOODCHUCKS' BURROWS.
How the Clever Little Animals Construct
Their strongholds.

Many years ago, during my boy
hood days, which were mostly spentin
happy old New England, | did my
share Of both shooting and trapping
woodchucks, and even helped eat a
roasted one on an occasion. But ! al
so did more than this, for several times
! had them as pets, and closely studied
their habits in nature and in cOntine-
ment.
Through some parts OF the State OF
Connecticut it would be hard to pick
out a clover field OF any size that did
not have a woodchuck burrow in some
part OF it. Sometimes they choose
site somewhere under the stone wall
which surrounds the field; or if there
| is large rock, as is often the case,
! anywhere about tho middle of the
field, the animal will burrow under
this as very choice location.
Finally the roots Of an old apple or
other trees are often chosen for its
stronghold, the burrow being dug down
among them, the owner seeming to
possess a realizing sense that no one
would ever dream Of attempting to dis
lodge him from such quarters. As is
the case with the excavations made
| for their habitations by most fOssorial
mammals, the burrow Of a wOOdchuck
at first descends obliquely into the
earth, then passes nearly horizontally
| for several feet, rises moderately for
the last half Of its length to terminate
in quite spacious and round chamber,
which constitutes the "living room"
of the entire family. In it the female
brings forth her Litter, and the young
remain there until they pair off and
dig their own homes elsewhere.
Such burrow may be at least thirty
feet in lenglh--so long that one never
thinks of digging "a woodchuck out
| but | have seen farmers bring up two
| or three barrels of water on a cart and
! drown the occupants OF this subter-
ranean establishment at short notice,
and rejoice most heartily If the pair,
and, perhaps, seven or eight quarter.
grown young, are caught at the same
time. Very often | have captured
/ them in steel traps set at the mouth OF
the burrow, taking the precautiOn to
| sprinkle it carefully over with fine
dirt One old woodchuck, | remember,
! constructed his burrows almost in the
center Of twenty-aCre clover lot. and
/ every attempt to capture him in any
kind of a trap utterly failed. 1t was
the rarcst thing in the world to even
catch him standing up at the en-.
trance Of his burrow during the
dav, but frequently we would
see him, just head and shoul.
ders out of it. 1t seems to me
must have fired thirty or forty times
at him under such circumstances from
the outer side Of the stone wall which
surrounded the field, and that, too,
with heavy old-fashioned mu2zlc-
loading Kentucky rifle, which at - tC
100 yards was good nearly every time
for all small game. But here every
shot failed; a cloud of dust would puff
up at the very entrance OF the burrow
each time and would confidently walk
over to pick him out, but no, next day
at noon he was there again, looking
out as smiling as ever He was capt
ured finally by my tying Colts re-
volver 10 a stout stake driven down
within few feet of the burrow and
training the aim down the entrance.
and then tying q long string to the
trigger waited behind the wall till
he again showed himself. when the
success Of the device sealed his doom.
Forest and Stream.