the county was killed near
Saline in October, 1868, by John H. Bortle.

The porcupine lives on the buds and bark of several species of trees,
and also eats the stems and leaves of water lilies. It is a clumsy and
stupid animal, knowing under natural conditions neither fear nor haste.
Its coat of sharp-barbed quills affords almost complete protection from
nearly all enemies except man, who alone is responsible for its
extinction in the county. Although large and clumsy, it climbs readily,
and often lives in the same tree for days. It also swims quite readily,
sometimes entering the water voluntarily. It makes a number of noises;
it sniffs, grunts, whines, chatters, and sometimes shrieks and cries
like a child.

_Marmota monax refuscens._ Woodchuck.--Before the settlement of the
county woodchucks were not very common, a few living on the prairies as
well as in the woods. With the clearing of the forests it found a
congenial habitat about the fields and gardens of the settlers, and
there found also choice food easily gathered. With these conditions it
has greatly increased and has become a pest, so that many townships in
southern Michigan pay a bounty of 25 to 50 cents each for woodchucks.

On the Wood homestead of 400 acres in Lodi Township this animal was
rarely seen in 1865, but in the next twenty years it became so common
that in the years 1881-82 I killed more than 100 and my brother and his
helper 125 more, all of them on this one small tract, and even then some
were left.

Its flesh is good when properly prepared, but most people are so
prejudiced that they will not eat it.

Albinos are not rare; I know of one taken near Saline about 1885.

When alarmed it utters a shrill whistle; and when angry it chatters its
teeth. I have often seen it climb trees, and have shot it from heights
of 10 to 30 feet. It climbs when chased by dogs and also of its own free
will.

_Citellus tridecemlineatus tridecemlineatus._ Striped
Ground-squirrel.--This animal (erroneously called "gopher" by many
people) was formerly common only in the southern part of the Lower
Peninsula, where its natural habitat was the prairies or oak openings.
Here it occurred in great numbers, as stated by the first settlers. As
the state became settled and the timber cut off it gradually extended
its range until at present it occurs in most of the cultivated areas of
the Lower Peninsula.

This squirrel rarely climbs in bushes or small trees. It has a