. Animal snapshots and how made . ng up to it, but they stole amarch on me, and within a space of three days theold burrow had but one occupant, the mother. Usually each woodchuck has a burrow by itself, .but occasionally a pair will live together through thewinter. Early in autumn I came upon such a pairnot far from the summer home which had so interestedme, and I pleased myself by imagining they weretwo of my old friends. The spot they had selectedfor their burrow was on a gentle sunny slope,in onecorner of the meadow. They had evidently beenworking, little by little, on the new burrow befor
. Animal snapshots and how made . ng up to it, but they stole amarch on me, and within a space of three days theold burrow had but one occupant, the mother. Usually each woodchuck has a burrow by itself, .but occasionally a pair will live together through thewinter. Early in autumn I came upon such a pairnot far from the summer home which had so interestedme, and I pleased myself by imagining they weretwo of my old friends. The spot they had selectedfor their burrow was on a gentle sunny slope,in onecorner of the meadow. They had evidently beenworking, little by little, on the new burrow beforethey left the old one, but now they made a regularbusiness of it and worked with a will. And rapidprogress they made, for their feet are armed withpowerful claws and there is a partial web betweenthe toes, a combination which makes a most excel-lent pick and shovel. The fore feet are used princi-pally, for digging and the hind ones for throwingbackward the loosened earth and stones. For some distance from the entrance the burrow. O H w H ^;o uP n uaoo The Woodchuck 29 inclined downward quite sharply, then turned slightlyupward and continued along beneath the surfacefor a distance of fifteen feet; this arrangement securedgood drainage, which is all-important in the home ofthe woodchuck. There was a small side timnel fourfeet long which ended in an exit, while the mainburrow terminated in a chamber of considerable size,in which there was a quantity of fine grass for bedding. When the woodchucks had completed their homethey were ready for housekeeping. The meadowshad been mown and a tempting new clover crop wasspread before them. There was nothing to do nowsave to eat, bask in the golden autumn sunshine, andeat again. With a few weeks of this sort of life therecame a wonderful change in their appearance; theircheeks were distended, their fur glossy, and theirskins stretched with fatness. When September was well advanced, they couldeat no more, and had only to wait and doze away t
Size: 1293px × 1933px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectani, booksubjectbirds
