ALONG FOUR-FOOTED TRAILS 



struggle or tragic end. Not even his own off- 

 spring remain, for each has selfishly left the 

 parental home at a very early age and entered 

 upon his own solitary life. So the gopher 

 leaves none to mourn or to miss him. He has 

 filled his mission on earth and accomplished 

 the only work that a gopher could do. 



If it chanced to be his other enemy, the bull- 

 snake would glide with his cold, muscular body 

 along the unfortunate gopher's chamber and 

 capturing, squeeze him to death and swallow 

 him entire. 



When the gopher thrusts his head above 

 ground, there are other natural enemies who sit 

 and wait to devour him. Among them are the 

 fox and coyote who seize many a luckless one 

 as he pushes up his load of dirt and by chance 

 stops for a moment to rest with his head above 

 ground. The cunning fox or coyote, knowing 

 the gopher's habits, will sit at eventide at the 

 entrance of the newly formed hillocks and wait 

 for the unsuspecting occupant to come forth 

 with its load of dirt, when it is instantly caught, 

 pulled above ground and soon hangs dangling 

 limp and lifeless between the jaws of its enemy. 



