CANADA POUCHED RAT. 335 



perforating the earth in every direction, not only at night, but often- 

 times during the day. 



Having observed some freshly thrown up mounds in Mr. Chouteau's 

 garden, several servants were called, and set to work to dig out the 

 animals, if practible, alive ; and we soon dug up several galleries work- 

 ed by the Muloes, in different directions. One of the main galleries was 

 about a foot beneath the surface of the ground, except where it passed 

 under the walks, in which places it was sunk rather lower. We turned 

 up this entire gallery, which led across a large garden-bed and two 

 walks, into another bed, where we discovered that several fine plants 

 had been killed by these animals eating off their roots just beneath the 

 surface of the ground. The burrow ended near these plants under a 

 large rose-bush. We then dug out another principal burrow, but its 

 terminus ^vas amongst the roots of a large peach-tree, some of the bark 

 of which had been eaten off by these animals. We could not capture 

 any of them at this time, owng to the ramifications of their galleries 

 having escaped our notice whilst follo^ving the main burrows. On care- 

 fully examining the ground ^ve discovered that several galleries existed, 

 that appeared to run entirely out of the garden into the open fields and 

 woods beyond, so that we w^ere obliged to give up the chase. This 

 species throws up the earth in little mounds about twelve or fifteen 

 inches in height, at irregular distances, sometimes near each other, and 

 occasionally ten, twenty, even thirty, paces asunder, generally opening 

 near a surface well covered with grass or vegetables of different kinds. 



The Pouched Rat remains under ground during cold weather in an 

 inactive state, most probably dormant, as it is not seen to disturb the 

 surface of the earth until the return of spring, when the grass is well 

 grown. 



The earth when thrown up is broken or pulverized, and as soon as the 

 animal has completed his galleries and chambers, he closes the aperture 

 on the side towards the sun, or on the top, although more usually on the 

 side, leaving a sort of ring or opening about the size of his body. 



Possessed of an exquisite sense of hearing, and an acute nose, at the 

 approach of any one travelling on the ground the " Muloes " stop their 

 labours instantaneously, being easily alarmed ; but if you retire some 

 twenty or thirty paces to leeward of the hole, and wait there for a quarter 

 of an hour or so, you will see the "Gopher" (another name given to 

 these animals by the inhabitants of the State of Missouri), raising the 

 earth with his back and shoulders, and forcing it out before and around 

 him, leaving an aperture open during the process. He now runs a few 



