Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-06

+rbIng along the narrow passage after their mother
to the entrance of the burrow and looked with their
great beautiful brown eyes upon the OUTSIDE world
view the green grass and the beautiful flowers
When satisfied that there was no oalSeL lurking IN
the immediate vicinity the mother led the way INTO the
haste keep close TO her. They trieo 70 inmate her
in everything; and when she nbbed coveT.eat they
followed her example and soon the sharp little teeth
had learned to cut the juicy leaves
plshedtbat of filling their stonachs; and then they
began playing about in the grass, very uGh IKE pup
far from the entrance of their home for if her trained
caught the sound of something approdo.Ing' she
would hustle the little ones into the burIow once the
cubs had travelled only part of the passage pe4e ey
heard the deep breathing of the dog at the mouth OF the
tunnel The exertion and excitement must nave made
their little hearts beat fast and for the rs e In Their
lives they learned what it was to be frightened
This was only the beginning of their education; for
they scrambled back something had been added to their
little stock of woodchuck knowledge a part OF this
knowledge was obtained by copying their mother but By
far the greater part through instinct and expert
ences of their own.
and fences for from elevated positions they could com
1nand much extended view OF meadow ana wood,
land Yes, woodchucks really climb fences and small
trees though their first attempts are very clumsy never
day passed that the little woodchucks did not receive
lesson in dangersgnas They soon learned to dis'in-
gush among the many sounds that came 70 their ears
those that threatened harm from those that meant
harm at all They learned that dog IS not danger
is some distance off, but they learned to be very wary
when fox was in the vicinity.
once knew dog howsver that vas famous S6en wood
watch his movements for little time; then, while the
woodchuck was feeding, he would move directly toward
it, keeping his body close the ground but would stop
instantly and lie very still whenever the woodchud
raised Itself its launches to look about for danger
When Shep believed himself to be enough - the
entrance o the burrow, he would make dash F71 it
and if he reached FIRST there sure to be one lsac
wood-huck to feed upon the clover
When the early autumn came, the little cubs
pretty nearly grown and soon they settled down to
row or deng one for teseive Within space Of
three days the old burrow had but one occupant the
mother.
Usually each wocdchucl6 has burrow by Itself but
occasionally pair will live together through the winter
upon such pair, not far from the summer home
which had so interested me, and pleased myself by
imagining they were two of my old friends The spot
they had selected for their burrow was gentle sunny
slope in one corner of the meadow. They had evidently
been working little by little the burrow before
they left the old one but they made regular BUSH
ness Of it. and worked with q will They made rapid
progress, for the feet armed with powerful claws
and there web between the toes combination which
makes excellent pick and shovel The fore feet arc
used principally for digging and the hind ones Tor
throwing backward the loosened earth and stones.
For distance from the entrance their burrow IN
cned downward quite sharply and then turned slightly
upward and continued along beneath the surface Tor
distance Of fifteen feet. There small side tunnel
ended in chamber of considerable sire in which there
was quantity Of fine grass for bedding
When the woodchuckS had completed their home they
had nothing TO do but TO eat and doze about in the sun
With few weeks Of this sort of life there
dcTu change IN their appearance their checks dis
tended their fur glossy, and their skins werc
stretched with fatness.
When September well advanced they could cat
more and had only TO wait and doze away the time until
abour the first week in October when Mother Nature
would send them to sleep for the winter The blood be-
gan flow more slowly through their veins drowsi-
which they could not resist gradually crep over
them and finally they curlcd themselves into balls OF
fur, SIDE by side in their snug retreat and fell asleep
Warm autumn days followed with their mellow light;
Indian summer and went, but the slumber Of the
woodchucks was unbro!oen; and thus the cold, bleak
winter passed IN one long dream of summer. =