The life of the prairie dog is simple. Early in the spring it emerges from hibernation, a bit groggy but still well padded with fat. This nourishment sustains it until the first green shoots of grass appear. From then on food is obtainable in an ever increasing supply, limited only by the distance to which these indifferent runners dare venture from their burrows. Summer is a time of eating, of dozing on the mounds in the warm sun, and of conversing with neighbors in the shrill barking whistles characteristic of this group. It is also a time of constant vigilance against predators, of dust bathing to rid themselves of mites and fleas, and of rearing the young. The four to six young are born in late spring and first appear at the burrow entrance when about the size of an average adult ground squirrel. Within a few days they are foraging for themselves, and about 3 weeks later are able to make their own way. At this time the mother frequently deserts them and builds herself a new burrow, leaving her offspring to divide the old homestead as best they can. As fall draws near, a thick coat of fat is put on, and by the middle of October most of the town’s inhabitants have retired for the long winter’s sleep. Yellow-bellied marmot (woodchuck) _Marmota flaviventris_ (Marmota, Dutch name of European species of woodchuck. Latin: flavus, yellow, and venter, belly) Range: Northwestern United States. Common in northern to south central Utah, northern and southeastern Colorado, and extreme north central New Mexico. [Illustration: Habitat map] Habitat: Canadian, Hudsonian, and Alpine Life Zones in rock slides, rocky hillsides, under rock piles, and around outcroppings in mountain meadows. Seldom found below the Canadian Zone but often occurring in the Alpine Zone to the very summits of the mountains. Description: A large, dark, brown marmot with a comparatively long bushy tail. Total length 19 to 28 inches. Tail 4½ to 9 inches. Body color, yellowish brown to dark brown above; under parts yellow. The body fur has a grizzled appearance. Sides of neck buffy, and sides of face dark brown to black. Light brown to white between the eyes. The feet are buff to dark brown. Tail dark brown above, lighter below. Young, five to eight, born in early summer.