THE GNAWERS 



93 





is this habit that once, when a member of a pack train 

 lost his watch, the natives began to search, not along the 

 trail, but on the vis- 

 cacha burrows by the 

 side of the road, and 

 soon returned with 

 the watch, which had 

 been dragged there 

 by one of these mis- 

 chievous collectors. 



The prairie dog 

 (Fig. 74) is a well- Fig. 74. - prairie Dog. 



known rodent of the Western plains. It forms burrows, 

 and is seen in large communities sitting on its haunches, 

 and diving out of sight at the sHghtest warning. It is 

 often said that the prairie dog, the rattlesnake, and the 

 burrowing owl live in the same burrow on terms of friend- 

 ship ; but the truth is that the prairie dog builds the 

 burrow, and the owl, too lazy to dig for itself, sometimes 

 forces itself upon the family, while the rattlesnake, with a 



fondness for young 

 prairie dogs or owls, 

 affects the burrows 

 for that purpose, and 

 sometimes as a retreat. 

 In the West, par- 

 ticularly in Southern 

 California, there are 

 FIG. 75. -GOPHERS. several small ground- 



loving, gnawing creatures called gophers (Fig. 75), the 

 enemies of every gardener. In general appearance they 



