240 Field Museum of Natural History — ■ Zoology, Vol. XL 



p. 72 (Illinois). Baird, Mammals N. Amer., 1857, p. 377 (Illinois). Allen, 

 Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XIII, 1869 (1871), p. 190 (Iowa). Strong, Geol. 

 Wis., Surv. 1873-79, II. 1883, p. 440 (Wisconsin). Herrick, Geol. & Nat. 

 Hist. Surv. Minn., Bull. No. 7, 1892, p. 223 (Minnesota). Merriam, N. Amer. 

 Fauna, No. 8, 1895, p. 120 (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, 

 etc.). Jackson, Bull. Wis. Nat. Hist. Soc, VI, 1908, p. 24 (Wisconsin). lb., 

 VIII, 1910, p. 88 (Wisconsin). Hahn, Ann. Rept. Dept. Geol. & Nat. Resources 

 Ind., 1908 (1909), p. 524 (Indiana). Howell, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., XXIII, 

 1910, p. 31 (Illinois). Van Hyning & Pellett, Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., 

 XVII, 1910, p. 212 (Iowa). 



Type locality — Uncertain, supposed to be upper Mississippi Valley. 

 Distribution — From North Dakota and northern Wisconsin south to 

 eastern Kansas and Illinois ; occurs sparingly in western Indiana. 

 In Illinois it has been recorded by Howell as far south as Randolph 

 and Jefferson counties; replaced in more southern and western 

 states by other forms. 

 Description — Somewhat larger than a House Rat and much more 

 thick set; neck very short; cheeks provided with pockets which 

 open on the outside and are lined with fur; tail stout, the terminal 

 portion nearly bare; eyes and ears small. General color dull chest- 

 nut brown, the under parts paler; concealed bases of the hairs dark 

 plumbeous; feet whitish; hair on basal portion of tail like the back, 

 the few scanty hairs on terminal portion white or whitish; front 

 feet greatly developed for digging, the claws noticeably large and 

 long. 

 Average measurements — Total length, about 11 in. (279 mm); 

 tail vertebrae, 3.25 in. (82.6 mm.) ; hind foot, 1.45 in. (37 mm.). 

 The Pocket Gopher occurs throughout the greater portion of Illi- 

 nois and Wisconsin in localities where there are prairie lands and open 

 places where the soil is loose and sandy. Kennicott states that in 1853, 

 while it was not common in Cook County, Illinois, it was "very abun- 

 dant on the prairies in the middle of the state where the farmers are 

 greatly injured by it." Wood reports it from Mason Co. and states 

 it is reported to be common in the western part of the state (/. c, p. 

 561). There is a specimen in this Museum from Anderson, Macoupin 

 Co.; Dr. Merriam records it from Cook and St. Clair counties {I. c, 

 1895, p. 12 o); and Baird mentions specimens from Morgan and Tazewell 

 counties, Illinois (/. c, p. 377). Howell found it in Randolph, Jefferson, 

 Marion, and Richland counties and he considers Coulterville in Ran- 

 dolph County to be about the southern limit of its range in Illinois 

 {I. c, p. 31). 



In Wisconsin it is locally distributed throughout the greater portion 

 of the state. I have seen specimens from Douglas, Dunn, Burnett 



