302 ANIMAL COMPETITORS 



left over night to absorb the poison. Distribute the 

 poisoned wheat, a half teaspoonful at a place, at the 

 mouth of the squirrel-burrows; do not scatter broad- 

 cast on account of the danger of killing birds. For 

 the larger ground-squirrels reduce the quantity of 

 wheat to 25 pounds and the water in proportion. 

 Experiments in California in destroying the digger 

 ground-squirrel (Clitellus bcecheyi) with pieces of 

 sugar-beets into which crystals of strychnia sulphate 

 had been inserted with a knife gave good results ; and 

 even better success has followed the use of poisoned 

 barley-heads. 



Poisoning pocket-gophers. The pocket-go- 

 phers are readily poisoned by strychnine, espe- 

 cially in the late fall and early winter. Crys- 

 tals may be inserted into pieces of potato, 

 carrot, prunes or raisins, and inserted into the 

 gopher tunnels several feet from fresh mounds. 

 Any strong prod will answer to make the holes 

 into which the baits may be dropped. These 

 holes need not be closed. When the animals 

 are in ditch-banks the tunnel should be fol- 

 lowed by digging with a garden trowel from 

 the freshest mound to the main runway, the 

 bait left there, and the opening closed. Car- 

 bon bisulphide is successful with gophers only 

 when the soil is moist and packed. 



