RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS.» 25

one fellow, bolder than his comrades, came up to the mouth of his
subterranean domicil and began to bark angrily at us, much as a very
small dog would do, which afforded a good deal of amusement.
Presently another appeared, who received his visitors with all the
politeness of which he was capable, and was rewarded for his confi-
dence with sundry bits of crackers, cakes and candy, with which he
appeared to be well pleased. In their eagerness to see it, many of
the party, especially the ladies, pressed closer and closer around.
This soon became too much for his courage, and he darted back into
his burrow. Hereupon Mr. Wells, of the Philadelphia Bulletin, took
it upon him to be master of ceremonies, made a mock-heroic speech,
assuring “the audience” that it was essential, in a performance of
this kind, that the circle be fifty feet in diameter, and that he would
continue to “swing around the circle” until it had expanded to that
amount. ‘This he did, talking as he went, and the thing was soon
accomplished. Then our little friend ventured out again, and ex-
hibited his courage and agility by dashing off from his place of refuge &
yard or two to pick up bits of cake. It was a pretty and unique
Spectacle to see a circle of perhaps a hundred and fifty ladies and gen-
tlemen standing in a ring, gazing well pleased at the gambols of the
funny little animal. We stayed here about half an hour, and all the
time our angry one kept barking at us.

These “ dogs” were about half domesticated, and were fed by the
families who live beside them, and it is probable that the young are
sold for pets. A member of our party asked one of the ladies resident
where they came from. “Oh,” said she, “they were brought from the
West.” In another place we saw a similar village or colony, appar-
ently more numerous, in a perfectly wild state. They are exceed-
ingly gregarious, and, it is said, harmless. There is a notion widely
prevalent out here, that in every dog-hole are to be found a rattle.
snake and an owl; but no one has ever been found who ever saw
the last two inhabitants in the burrow. The probability is that
the reptile and the bird are apt to be about in search of the young
“dogs” as prey. Whether their habitations communicate one with
another under ground, I could not find any one able to tell; but proba+
bly they do. I was told by a young man that he poured one hundred
and thirty buckets of water into a hole before he forced a “dog” to
come up. It then came and he caught it.

RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS.

There are birds here, but they are not very numerous. I have seen
some of beautiful plumage. When the country is settled, and trees