u only hesitated long enough to
select one of the burrows into which he was sure a marmot had entered;
and then, setting himself to his work, he commenced throwing out the
mould like a terrier. In a few seconds he was half buried, and his
hindquarters and tail alone remained above ground. He would soon have
disappeared entirely, but at that moment the boys, directed and headed
by Norman, ran up the hill, and seizing him by the tail, endeavoured to
jerk him back. That, however, was a task which they could not
accomplish, for first one and then another, and then Basil and Norman--
who were both strong boys--pulled with all their might, and could not
move him. Norman cautioned them against letting him go, as in a
moment's time he would burrow beyond their reach. So they held on until
Francois had got his gun ready. This the latter soon did, and a load of
small shot was fired into the blaireau's hips, which, although it did
not quite kill him, caused him to back out of the hole, and brought him
into the clutches of Marengo. A desperate struggle ensued, which ended
by the bloodhound doubling his vast black muzzle upon the throat of the
blaireau, and choking him to death in less than a dozen seconds; and
then his hide--the only part which was deemed of any value--was taken
off and carried to the camp. The carcass was left upon the face of the
hill, and the red shining object was soon espied by the buzzards and
turkey vultures, so that in a few minutes' time several of these filthy
birds were seen hovering around, and alighting upon the hill.

But this was no new sight to our young voyageurs, and soon ceased to be
noticed by them. Another bird, of a different kind, for a short time
engaged their attention. It was a large hawk, which Lucien, as soon as
he saw it, pronounced to be one of the kind known as buzzards (_Buteo_).
Of these there are several species in North America, but it is not to
be supposed that there is any resemblance between them and the buzzards
just mentioned as having alighted by the carcass of the blaireau. The
latter, commonly called "turkey buzzards," are true vultures, and feed
mostly, though not exclusively, on carrion; while the "hawk buzzards"
have all the appearance and general habits of the rest of the falcon
tribe.

The one in question, Lucien said, was the "marsh-hawk," sometimes also
called the "hen-harrier" (_Falco uliginosus_). Norman stated that it
was known among the Indians of t