INJURIOUS INSECTS OF 1904. 



151 



First of all, and most abundant of the "Spermophiles" here, 

 is the Striped Spermophile, or striped gopher, sometimes called 

 the Thirteen-lined Gopher, or "Stars and Stripes." See Fig. 144. 

 This animal is common almost everywhere in Minnesota, and is 

 a familiar figure to almost everyone not living in the city. It is 

 reddish brown in color, yellowish below. Counting the rows of yel- 

 lowish "stars" and stripes, we find thirteen lines in all, which fact 

 gives it its scientific name. Minnesota specimens show the lower 

 stripes on sides indistinct or broken. 



We have also the so-called gray gopher, or ground squirrel, or 

 scrub-gopher (see illustration), found on prairies in this state and 

 elsewhere in localities not too much timbered or covered with 

 brush. 



Fig. 145. — Gray Gopher, Spermophilus franklinii, Fab. After Merriam. 



Finally in the prairie country of North Dakota is a serious pest 

 which has pushed east into the Red River Valley but not in suffi- 

 cient numbers to be destructive. This species is known as the 

 "Flicker-tail Gopher," resembling closely the previous form, albeit 

 it has a short tail and is grayish, while S. franklinii is brownish with 

 faint lines of black. 



