"It doesn't hurt," he insisted. "And anyway, we don't have to do it very often. Most of the marmots, especially those under two years old, are really cooperative."

"What happens after the collar is on?" she asked.

"Each transmitter has its own identifying signal," Ned told her. "All of them are picked up on our receiver and automatically fed into the computer. Then, two times a day, we download the file and chart the movements of the animals we're tracking. Since Brad's accident, that's been my job."

"How's Brad doing?" Nancy asked.

"Better," Ned said. "But they've kept him pretty heavily sedated. No one's been able to see him."

"Where did he get hurt?" Nancy queried.

"Up the hill in the hut at observation post one," Ned replied.

"I'd like to see it," Nancy said.

Ned led Nancy to the trail that wound up the hill. At the top of the slope, Ned halted.

"Well," he said with a sweep of his hand, "this is it. We have three other feeding stations, but this is the most important one."

Nancy looked around. They were on level ground now. A circular area about the size of a football field had been fenced off with chicken wire.

"This is a marmot community, and that's one of their burrows," Ned explained, pointing to a raised mound on the far side of the chicken wire.

            Inside the enclosure Nancy noticed a slim girl about her own age leaning down to a burrow. She was wearing a checked shirt, straight-legged jeans, and suede boots. Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she had pale blue eyes and an oval face with a pronounced widow's peak. When she saw Nancy and Ned, she came over to greet them.

            "Hi, Jennifer, this is Nancy Drew," Ned said casually. "Nancy, meet Jennifer Trainey."

            "Hi, Jennifer," Nancy said. "Trainey-are you related to the professor?"

            "He's my dad," Jennifer said quickly, then added with a slight smile, "Ned didn't tell me he was expecting company."