228 BULLETIN NO. VII. 
clover plant he always pursued the same method, beginning at 
one extremity and ‘‘feeding it into” the mouth rapidly, and 
uniformly using now one fore paw, now the other. After 
the keen edge of the appetite was removed the animal 
began at once to stow food into his puckets, in doing which he 
reversed his former position and seemed to all but stand on 
his head, cramming in the leaves and roots with much celerity. 
The play of jaws is ordinarily like that of a rat, but at times, 
when a large root was encountered, the jaws were set in rapid 
motion so that the clicks made by the teeth blended in one 
uniform clatter. A similar habit has been noticed in several 
rodents, especially the porcupine. The only truly vocal sound 
was a sharp squeak if the hissing note of rage be excepted. 
Upon the smooth surface of the floor the motions seemed em- 
barrassed and awkward. A small twine stretched on the floor 
served to stop his course until he divided it with the teeth 
rather than step over it.” 
‘*When placed in a vessel of fresh earth the Geomys seemed 
almost distraught. The smell of fresh soil acted as a power- 
ful stimulant and the animal careened about before falling to 
violent digging which he carried on literally tooth and nail, 
biting the clods, rooting violently, and throwing back the earth 
with the feet. This, however, was but play, and it was only 
when given larger quarters that he began the excavation of a 
burrow in real earnest. The position in digging is with the 
hind feet well forward and the back strongly arched. ‘The 
earth is thrown back with the fore paws, and, asit accumulates 
under the animal, the latter launches a vigorous kick with both 
hind feet in the most ludicrously earnest manner. After aconsid- 
erable pile is thus formed behind the animal, he turns about and 
approximating the callosities of the two fore feet in front and 
with the claws well up, he pushes the mass before him by the 
action of the hind limbs until it piles up in front of him, and 
he looks like a diminutive earth scraper. It isin this way that 
the earth is brought to the surface and not in the pockets as 
often stated. The whole process is accomplished in the most 
brisk and business-like manner possible. Thus, in the habits 
of the animal we have the explanation of an osteological pecu- 
liarity of the wrist. There is a strongly developed bone (the 
falciform) not found in many mammals which serves to sup- 
port the callosity which in this case, as we have seen, serves 
both as a scraper and an aid in prehension. The most notice- 
able fault of the gopher is his gluttony. The amount he eats 
