no character being assigned to it in the original description that can separate it
from the marmots.
D E S C R I P T IO N .
I The burrowing squirrel (of the Columbia) somewhat resembles those found on the Missouri;
he measures one foot and five inches in length, of which the tail comprises two and
a half inches only: the neck and legs are s h o r tth e ears are likewise short, obtusely pointed,
and lie close to the head, and the aperture is larger than will generally be found among burrowing
animals, The eyes are of a moderate size, the pupil black, and the iris of a dark
sooty brown ; the whiskers are full, long and black; the teeth, and iudeed the whole contour,
resemble those of the squirrel; each foot has five toes; the two inner ones ( thumbs), of the
fore-feet are remarkably short, and are equipped with blunt nails ; the remaining toes on the
front-feet are long, black, slightly curved, and sharply pointed; the hair of the tail is thickly
inserted on the sides only, which gives it a flat appearance, and a long oval form: the tips of
the hair forming the outer edges of the tail are white, the other extremity of a fox red; the
under part of the tail resembles ah iron-gray; the upper is of a reddish-brown ; the lower
part of the jaws, the under part of the neck, legs and feet, from the body and belly downwards,
are of a light brick red; the nose and eyes are of a darker shade of the' same colour jtlie
upper part of the head, neck and body, are of a curious brown-gray, with a slight tinge of
brick-red; the longer hairs of these parts are of a reddish-white colour at their extremities,
and falling together, give this animal a speckled appearance.” -
“ These animals form in large companies, like those on the Missouri, occupying
with their burrows sometimes two hundred acres of land; the burrows are
separate, and each possesses, perhaps, ten or twelve inhabitants. There is a
little mound iii front of the hole, formed of the earth thrown out of the burrow',
and frequently there are three or four distinct holes, forming one burrow, with
their entrances around the base of these little mounds. The monnds, sometimes
about two feet in height and four in diameter, are occupied as watch-towers by the
inhabitants of these little communities. The squirrels, one or more, are irregularly
distributed on the tract they thus occupy, at the distance of ten, twenty, or sometimes
from thirty to forty yards. When any one approaches, they make a shrill
whistling sound, somewhat resembling tweet, tweet, tweet, the signal for their
party to take the alarm, and to retire into their intrenchments. They feed on the
roots of grass, &c.’*
The specific name of brachyurus is not particularly happy in its application to
this animal; the A. Richardsonii has a tail equally short; the tail of the A.
Liidovicianus is even shorter; that of the A. citillus both American and Siberian
specimens is shorter still; and that of the A. mugosaricus of Lichtenstein is fully
twice as short in proportion to the length of the body.
■f 4 . A rctomys M o nax. (G m e lin .) The Wood-Chuck.
Bahama Coney. Catesby, Carolina, vol. ii. p. 79. An. 1743.
Monax. Edwards, Birds, pi. 104.
Maryland Marmot. Pennant, Arctic Zool., vol. i. p. 111. Godman, Nat. Hist., vol. ii. p. 100.
Arctomys Monax. Sabine. Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 585. Harlan, Fauna, vol. i. p. 158.
Gr if f it h s , An. King., vol. iii. p. 170. Cum figura, vol. v. No. 633.
A. {monax) auriculis conspicuis rotundatis, corpora ex ferrugineo cinerascenti, vultuplumbeo, caud&fusca mediocri.
Wood-Chuck, With prominent rounded ears ; fur on the body rust-coloured, tipped with gray ; bluish-gray face; a
moderately long, dark-brown, rather bushy tail.
To render the list of American marmots, given in this work, as perfect as our
present knowledge permits, I shall insert here short compiled accounts of two
species, which inhabit parts of North America, lying to the southward of the
district to which this work more particularly relates. Of these the Wood-chuck,
or Maryland Marmot, has been longest known to Naturalists. It is common in all
the middle states, and is described, by Drs. Harlan and Godman, as living in
society, and forming burrows in the sides of hills, which extend to great distances
under ground, and terminate in various chambers, according to the number of
inhabitants. The chambers are lined with dry grass, leaves, or other similar
materials, and the animals pass the winter in them in a torpid state, after having
closed the entrance. They feed on vegetables, are particularly fond of red-clover,
and often prove injurious to the farmer, by the extent of their depredations. They
sally forth in a body on their marauding excursions, generally at mid-day, and,
having placed sentinels, proceed to fill their mouths. On the approach of dano-er,
the sentinel gives the alarm by a clear, shrill whistle, and they betake themselves
to their burrows with their utmost speed. If one of them is intercepted by a dog,
it boldly offers battle, and bites severely. They are capable of being tamed, and
become very playful, and fond of being handled. They are cleanly animals
removing all fragments of food, and even loose earth, from the mouths of their
burrows, and carefully burying their excrement. The female produces six young
at a litter. Dr. Godman, from whom chiefly the above account of the habits of
this animal is borrowed, informs us that Edwards’s figure is very unlike, and that
the only good representation is that given in Griffith’s Animal Kingdom, which is
copied from a print done in America by Lesueur. He likewise mentions that it
has ample cheek-pouches, and an extension of the skin between the toes, rendering