Writers upon rural England and her familiar natural history make nomention of the marmot or woodchuck. In Europe this animal seems to beconfined to high mountainous districts, as on our Pacific slope,burrowing near the snow line. It is more social or gregarious than theAmerican species, living in large families like our prairie-dog.In the Middle and Eastern States our woodchuck takes the place, in somerespects, of the English rabbit, burrowing in every hillside and underevery stone wall and jutting ledge and large bowlder, from whence itmakes raids upon the grass and clover and sometimes upon the gardenvegetables. It is very solitary in its habits, seldom more than oneinhabiting the same den, unless it be a mother and her youthful. It isnot now so much a wood chuck as a field chuck. 0ccasionally, however,one seems to prefer the woods, and is not seduced by the sunny slopesand the succulent grass, but feeds, as did his portlyhers before him, uponroots and twigs, the bark of youthful trees, and upon various wood plants.