Striped Ground-squirrel 401 



On May 21, 1884, I dissected 3 female Striped-gophers young 

 that had been shot in the garden, and found in each 9 well- 

 developed young, evidently within a few days of birth. On 

 May 24 I saw several of this species carrying bedding into their 

 dens. On May 26 I opened 2 more and found 7 and 8 young. 

 Other observers have noted young up to 14; thus they range 

 from 7 to 14 in number, 9 being about the average. 



It is a remarkable fact that among the rodents, at least, 

 prenatal counting shows more young than actual observation 

 of the litter in the nest. Does this mean the death of one or 

 two at each birth ? 



Evidently they are born about June i. I found this 

 note in my Carberry Journal for May 27, 1884: ''The Striped- 

 gopher in the cage brought forth her young yesterday or the 

 day before, but she has utterly neglected them (they are since 

 dead). They are perfectly naked, blind, helpless, and ap- 

 parently toothless. There is not even an opening for the ears. 

 Their skin is bright pink, and shows no signs of hair or of the 

 mature markings. The total length of one is 2^ inches; of 

 this the tail is f of an inch. The sex is pronounced and the 

 whiskers show. 



" Dr. Hoy, who observed them in confinement, says that 

 they have no hair on the body before they are twenty days old, 

 and that the eyes do not open till the thirtieth day. They con- 

 tinue to require the nourishment and care of the mother for 

 a much longer period than most rodents." (Kenmcott.y 



A nest found near Carberry in June was of fine grass a 

 couple of inches below the sod, and contained 8 young Gophers, 

 half grown but showing all mature markings. 



About the first week in July they are big enough to come 

 out of the den; they are half grown in the middle of the month, 

 but do not yet go far from home and mother. They are fully 

 grown by September, and before the winter comes the family 

 feeling is entirely gone. Probably the young do not even 

 winter together. 



Only one brood is raised each season. 

 •Quad. III., 1857, pp. 75-6. 



