THE POCKET GOPHER 111 



the mating season and when the female is caring for her young, 

 gophers seem to live alone. ' ' 25 



Frank C. Pellett of Atlantic has in his collection a young female 

 pocket gopher taken from the nest of a red-tailed hawk May 18, 

 1916. The measurements are as follows: Total length, 6.50 inches; 

 tail vertebra?, 1.80 inches ; hind foot, 0.90 inch. 



Pocket gophers have a tendency to roam about somewhat, par- 

 ticularly in late summer and fall, and at these times numbers of 

 new mounds are often found in fields some distance away from 

 the regularly inhabited areas. Even in late autumn and during 

 the winter the animals, especially the males, wander about more 

 or less. On October 13, 1913, a live specimen was brought to the 

 office of the writer by A. 0. Thomas. He had found it running 

 about on the surface of the ground evidently in migration. This 

 specimen was kept confined in a wire cage in the office for several 

 days. It appeared to dislike the light and embraced every oppor- 

 tunity to escape from it. Apples, potatoes, and the roots and 

 green stalks of dandelions were fed the animal. It seemed espe- 

 cially fond of the green dandelions; and holding a stalk in its 

 front claws would begin at one end and not stop until the entire 

 stalk was eaten, when it would be ready for another. The animal 

 took water from a pipette at times rather greedily and with much 

 relish. 



Charles Miller, living near Decorah, reports having taken 

 pocket gophers alive in winter from under the snow. The animals 

 had probably worked out of their burrows and were unable to find 

 their way back again. 



Pocket gophers do not hibernate in the true sense of the word, 

 but lay up enormous stores for the winter, some of which they 

 place only a little distance beneath the surface of the earth so 

 that they are overturned by the plow. Other and more extensive 

 stores are placed deeper in the soil. The various roots upon 

 which the animal feeds are cut in short pieces, packed into the 

 great cheek pouches, and carried away to these caches which usually 

 contain much more food than the animal can possibly eat. This 

 great destruction of food materials adds to the extensive damage 

 done by these animals. 



The pocket gopher occurs throughout the state, but is rather 

 more abundant in the central, northcentral, and eastern counties, 



^Lantz, D. E., Pocket Gophers as Enemies of Trees : Yearbook, U. S. Dept. 

 Agr., 210, 1909. 



