568 



Life-histories of Northern Animals 



over the nest. Evidently the Gopher had gone abroad to 

 gather this food. 



I have several times found roots in the pouches of the 

 Gopher; one purpose of its burrowing, indeed, is to get a 

 choice variety of these. I personally have never known it to 

 destroy root crops, though I have heard of such things else- 

 where. 



My captive specimens always refused drink. 



HABITS The Gopher leads the life of a Mole, living in a burrow 



which is about 3 inches wide and ramified indefinitely near 

 the surface. It throws up a mound every few feet, 

 but in some cases a gallery is run for 20 or 30 feet 

 without a mound appearing. 



Its method of burrowing, as observed in captive 

 specimens, is to loosen the earth with the powerful 

 front claws, as it stands with hind-feet advanced 

 and wide spread, then throw it backward be- 

 tween the hind-legs, to be further passed on by the 

 hind- feet; and when a sufficient pile is ready, 

 the Gopher turns round and pushes with its broad 

 head and powerful front- feet, forcing the pile 

 ahead of it to the first side gallery, up that and 

 out, usually without exposing itself. The earth is 

 always moved thus, not in the enormous cheek 

 pouches, as some believe. In all my experience 

 I have never known these to serve for anything 

 but provender bags. In one or two cases I have 

 found a little earth in the pouches, but obviously 

 it came from some roots that the creature was 

 carrying home. 

 In August, 1892, I caught a Gopher and kept it cap- 

 tive for some days while I sketched the attitudes that ap- 

 pear in Fig. 162, p. 566. I also got some new notes on its 

 habits. 



On being offered grass it was careful to cram its 

 cheek pouches before eating. To make this easy it cut the 



Fig. 163. 

 (See page 567.) 



