covered with soft yellow-white fur.

Shortly after daylight the next morning the lama came to our tent to
announce that there was a marmot in one of the traps. The boy was as
excited as a child of ten and had been up at dawn. When we were
dressed we followed the Mongol to the first burrow Where a fine
marmot was securely caught by the hind leg. A few yards away we had
another female, and the third trap was pulled far into the hole. A
huge male was at the other end, but he had twisted his body halfway
around a curve in the tunnel and by pulling with all our strength
the Mongol and I could not move him a single inch. Finally we gave
up and had to dig him out. He had given a wonderful exhibition of
strength for so small an animal.

It was especially gratifying to catch these marmots so easily, for
we had been told in Urga that the Mongols could not trap them. I was
at a loss to understand why, for they are closely related to the
"woodchucks" of America with which every country boy is familiar.
Later I learned the reason for the failure of the natives. In the
Urga market we saw some double-spring traps exactly like those of
ours, but when I came to examine them I found they had been made in
Russia, and the springs were so weak that they were almost useless.
These were the only steel traps which the Mongols had ever seen.

The marmots (_Marmota robusta_) were supposed to be responsible for
the spread of the pneumonia plague which swept into northern China
from Manchuria a few years ago; but I understand from physicians of
the Rockefeller Foundation in Peking, who especially investigated
the disease, that the animal's connection with it is by no means
satisfactorily determined.

The marmots hibernate during the winter, and retire to their burrows
early in October, not to emerge until April. When they first come
out in the spring their fur is bright yellow, and the animals
contrast beautifully with the green grass. After the middle of June
the yellow fur begins to slip off in patches, leaving exposed the
new coat, which is exceedingly short and is mouse-gray in color.
Then, of course, the skins are useless for commercial purposes. As
the summer progresses the fur grows until by September first it has
formed a long, soft coat of rich gray-brown which is of considerable
economic value. The skins are shipped to Europe and America and
during the past winter (1919-1920) were especially popular as
linings for winter coats.

W