MAMMALS OF MINNESOTA. 167 
fades out anteriorly, and on the head there is only pure black 
and white, mingled to form a clear grey, as also on the sides of 
the head. There is a conspicuous white ring about the eye, 
which is separated from the black of the lids by an inconspicu- 
ous yellowish line; a little yellowish too is found on the ears. 
The end of the nose is buffy. The sides of the body are lighter 
than the back, and the black is most conspicuous upon the 
sides of the hip and thigh. The outside of the fore leg is yel- 
lowish. The yellowish of the back extends some distance upon 
the tail, which, however, has a prevailingly whitish color, the 
hairs being yellowish white at the base, black medianly and 
for a considerable distance near the end pure white. The under 
parts, inside of legs and part of cheeks are white. Claws 
blackish, teeth white, iris dark brown. The pelage is stiff and 
nearly destitute of under fur, that of the tail being distichous 
and abundant, often nearly as full as in the gray squirrel, which 
this species not a little resembles. There are well developed 
cheek-pouches provided with special muscles. Six pairs of 
teats are present. The ears in this species are very small. 
This graceful animal was at one time fairly abundant through- 
out the southern part of Minnesota, but is being rapidly extermin- 
ated by civilization. The natural home is about the edges of 
copses and it is not unusual for the animal to take refuge in a low 
tree or close thicket rather than its burrow. Being so much 
more conspicuous and less fossorial it is less fitted to hold its 
own than the striped gopher. It is still abundant about Big 
Stone lake, where it will approach the traveler’s tent fearlessly 
and may be taken by the hand if desired. During the summer 
it feeds upon wild fruits, suc.. as strawberries, but has well- 
marked carniverous propensities During a few days’ encamp- 
ment on Lake Traverse several of these animals became so 
domestic as to partake freely of fish from our table so long as 
no suspiciously hasty motions were executed by the human 
participants. The following are typical measurements for this 
region: 
No. 86. (Female) Head and body, 9.75; tail to end of vertebrae, 
9.90; to end of hairs, 6.70; nose to eye, 0 95; nose toear, 1.80; 
hight of ear, 0.50; fore foot, 1.20; hind foot, 2.10; upper in- 
cisors, 0.25; lower incisors, 0.41. 
In his monograph of the squirrels, Mr. Allen mentions that 
the gray gopher, Spermophilus franklini, was introduced in 
Tuckerton, New Jersey, in 1867; where it has gone on multiply- 
