144 



INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 



GOPHERS, FIELD MICE, MOLES, WOODCHUCKS, RAB- 

 BITS, ETC. 



Everyone has heard the old story about the naturahst who was 

 traveling with some pets, and the railway people had only made 

 provision in their rules for charging for dogs. The ticket seller 

 was therefore in doubt as to whether charges should be made for 

 monkeys, cats and a large tortoise, which accompanied the natiir- 

 alist. His judgment at last was given forth that the cats and 

 monkeys would have to be paid for because under his instructions, 

 he said, "Cats is dogs, monkeys is dogs, but that 'ere turtle is an 

 insect, so we let them go free." The story does not state whether 

 he would classify gophers and rabbits as insects also. Possibly 

 not. Nevertheless there is no one in the state, outside of this de- 

 partment, so situated as to be able to publish an economic treatise 

 on gophers, field mice, rabbits, etc., all of which are pests to the agri- 

 culturist, and as publications from this office are designed for the 

 benefit of Minnesota farmers, the Entomologist does not hesitate 

 to present here his own experience and that of others in combating 

 gophers, rabbits, field mice and allied forms which are hostile to 



the interests of agriculture. 



In the first place, a word as 

 to the classification of these ani- 

 mals as having an important 

 bearing upon their food habits : 

 They all suckle their young and 

 are more or less covered with 

 hair, hence belong to that class 

 of vertebrates known as Mam- 

 malia. Fvirther, with the excep- 

 tion of the mole, they are all 

 gnawers, and have teeth adapted 

 to that constant habit, the inci- 

 sors or front teeth above and below being chisel-shaped and remark- 

 ably well developed, and the canine teeth being absent. These, 

 therefore, belong to the order Rodentia or Gnawers, which order 

 includes all the squirrels, chipmunks, gophers, pouched gophers, 

 rats, mice, rabbits, hares, woodchucks, beavers, muskrats and por- 



Fig. 137. — Skull of Rat, showing the den- 

 tition peculiar to rodents: 5", hard 

 enamel; s, softer dentine; o, roots of 

 incisors: b, molars; c c, centers of semi- 

 circles formed by incisors. After Lan- 

 dois. 



