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 pockets, 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, as it accumulates 

 under the animal, the latter launches a vigorous kick with both 

 hind feet in the most ludicrously earnest manner. After a con sid- 

 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 is in 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 

 bottt as a scraper and an aid in prehension. The most notice- 

 able fault of the gopher is his gluttony. The amount he eats 



