ae y “at tA ae Me Le eae : Re Fre ais tte Kee ete” 
_ out. Eack head was cut off at one bite, about five inches from the ground, ané 
_ mained untouched. Two days later (June 29) 1 came by the same field and saw — 
that they were still cutting the wheat, and the ground was strewn with the hea is. 
_ size of onion seed and slightly milky. The Gophers cut the heads off, examine them, 
the case of ripe grain it would seem that this is the most destructive period of their 
100 that were standing. But few of those cut were eaten, the kernels being about 
As shall County, June, 1887: Common. Harwood, Cass County, July, 1887: Common; — + 
_ ‘feeds mostly on grain and grasshoppers. Grand Forks, July, 1887: Numerous; —_ 
_ franklini) are abundant and of nearly equal numbers, this species probably predomi- ; 
‘less now than they will when it becomes ripe enough to store up for future use, 
_ Spermophilus encountered on this trip the Striped is most numerous, the Gray (S. 0” 
field. The Striped Gopher covers more ground and is more numerous throughout 
» the grain is cut and in the shock and enough is left on the ground to last the Go- 
_phers until seed time, and it is easier for them to gather than that in the shock. 
5 Lely ty 4 Y 
‘ 4 ' 
x b 
Ae 
” 
Probably 15 per cent. of the heads had been cut on a strip about 20 feet wide, aloi 
the edge of the field, and from a few of the heads the ovules had been eaten. The 
wheat was just beginning to blossom then. At this time the ovules are about the ~ 
and then try to find a better one, thus eating only a small part of what they destroy. 
Since very many more of the small watery ovules are required for a feed than in Es 
BERKEL 
ravages. Graceville, Big Stone-County, July, 1887: Common; cutting grain. — AGT ee f 
the edge of a wheat field where one of these Gophers lived the wheat was cutona 
semi-circular area about 25 by 45 feet. Selecting a place that seemed a fair average — 
I measured a square yard,on which I counted 31 heads that had been cut down, an 1: 
half-growp and watery. Oats and barley were destroyed in the same way. SOP 
Dakota.—¥iandreau, Moody County, May, 1887: Numerous. Fort Sisseton, Mar- 
* 
working in the grain as at all other places. Pembina, July and August, 1887: Com- _ 
mon on open ground and in the fields. Both this species and the Gray Gopher (S. _ 
an 
nating. On the open prairie they feed largely on grasshoppers, but are morecom- =~ 
mon along the edge of grain-fields, where both species feed almost entirely on grain. — ” 
I can not see that they show any preference between wheat, oats, and barley. The 
quantity of grain they destroy is considerable, but evidently less at present than 
earlier in the season, as it is now fullgrownand in thedough. Probably they take 
Devil’s Lake, Ramsey County, August, 1887: Common. Of the three species of 
franklini) but little less so, and Richardson’s (S. richardsont) seemscommon, Hach  — 
species seems to have its special range, indicated by the character of the ground. 
This species keeps on open ground (prairies, marshes, and fields). S. franklintseems 
to prefer woods, brush, or low, marshy, and weedy places. S. richardsont is the — 
only species [have found on high prairie; generally it was near the edge of a grain- 
its range than the others. All of the three species are now most numerous at the 
edges of grain-fields, from which they are carrying grain to store for winter use. 
But the loss which they cause to the farmers is nearly past, for the greater part of 
Bottineau (on western edge of Turtle Mountain), August, 1887: Common on prai- _ 
ries and in fields. Fort Buford, September, 1887: Common, but seldom seen at this 
season. They are now very fat. At present they live almost entirely on sunflower 
seeds, though probably also eating cactus seed and seeds of weeds. They are throw- 
ing out large piles of dirt from their holes. Have not seen one running about since __ 
coming here, though they are common enough, and I had no difficulty in catching — . 
them in traps. Have noticed the same thing at Elk River, Minn., where they were | % 
seldom seen after September 1. After this they keep very quiet and out of sight as. 
much as possible, never standing upright or making a sound. Have noticed that | 
these animals decay sooner than usual when feeding largely on grasshoppers. ths o 
Montana,—Tilyou’s Ranch; Dawson County, September and October, 1887: Com- ri 
mon; are smalland pale. Feed principally on seeds of wild sunflower (Helianthus) ie 
and grasshoppers, also seeds of the cactus (Opustia). They are very fat. aan hy 
“% 5a 
GRAY GOPHER. (Spermophilus franklini). ee 
AVY, 
Minnesota.—Elk River, Sherburne County, November, 1887: Rather scarce. — Sale 
Heron Lake, Jackson County, May, 1887: Found this Gopher here, but net in. i 
sufficient numbers todo much harm. Ortonville, Big Stone County, June, 1887: ’ 
‘Abundant. - A few are scattered over the prairie, but im the timber near the lake, 1a 
and in the ravines, there are a great many. Of 15 killed, 10 were males and5 = 
females, but the females have young now and may keep out of sight. The males | ~ 
are quite fat. Their principal food seems to be bass-wood seeds, which are very «_ ae 
plentiful. They also eat some green plants and leaves. Shot one while eating a 
Wood Phoebe that it had just killed. On the prairies they are mostly found near ~ 
grain-fields or in marshy places, Along the edge of a field of barley where several 
lived I found where they had been digging little holes, and on examining them ~~ 
