for its own residence,
but the burrows of the marmots, which the blaireau has enlarged, so that
it may enter and prey upon them. In this way the creature obtains most
of its food, but as the marmots lie torpid during the winter months, and
the ground above them is frozen as hard as a rock, it is then impossible
for the blaireau to effect an entrance. At this season it would
undoubtedly starve had not Nature provided against such a result, by
giving it the power of sleeping throughout the winter months as well as
the marmots themselves, which it does. As soon as it wakes up and comes
abroad, it begins its campaign against these little creatures; and it
prefers, above all others, the "tawnies," and the beautiful "leopards,"
both of which it persecutes incessantly.

The badger when first seen was creeping along with its belly almost
dragging the ground, and its long snout projected horizontally in the
direction of the marmot "village." It was evidently meditating a
surprise of the inhabitants. Now and then it would stop, like a pointer
dog when close to a partridge, reconnoitre a moment, and then go on
again. Its design appeared to be to get between the marmots and their
burrows, intercept some of them, and get a hold of them without the
trouble of digging them up--although that would be no great affair to
it, for so strong are its fore-arms and claws that in loose soil it can
make its way under the ground as fast as a mole.

Slowly and cautiously it stole along, its hind-feet resting all their
length upon the ground, its hideous snout thrown forward, and its eyes
glaring with a voracious and hungry expression. It had got within fifty
paces of the marmots, and would, no doubt, have succeeded in cutting off
the retreat of some of them, but at that moment a burrowing owl (_Strix
cunicularia_), that had been perched upon one of the mounds, rose up,
and commenced hovering in circles above the intruder. This drew the
attention of the marmot sentries to their well-known enemy, and their
warning cry was followed by a general scamper of both tawnies and
leopards towards their respective burrows.

The blaireau, seeing that further concealment was no longer of any use,
raised himself higher upon his limbs, and sprang forward in pursuit. He
was too late, however, as the marmots had all got into their holes, and
their angry "seek-seek," was heard proceeding from various quarters out
of the bowels of the earth. The blairea