164 



THE DESERT 



Squirrels 



and 



gophers. 



The desert 

 antdope. 



His eyes. 



can hardly count them all — squirrels with long 

 tails and short tails and no tails ; squirrels 

 yellow, brown, gray, blue, and slate-colored. 

 They live in the rocks about the bases of the 

 desert mountains ; and eventually they fall a 

 prey to the wild cat who watches for them just 

 as the domestic cat watches for the house rat. 

 Their only safeguard is their energetic way of 

 darting into a hole. For all their sharp noses 

 and ears they are foolish little folk and will 

 keep poking their heads out to see what is go- 

 ing on. 



But for acute senses, swift legs, and powerful 

 endurance nothing can surpass the antelope. 

 He is rarely seen to-day (more's the pity !) ; but 

 only a few years ago there were quite a number 

 of them on the Sonora edge of the Colorado 

 Desert. Usually they prefer the higher mesas 

 where the land is grass-grown and the view is 

 unobstructed ; but they have been known to 

 come far down into the desert. And the ante- 

 lope is very well fitted for the sandy waste. The 

 lack of water does not bother him, he can eat 

 anything that grows in grass or bush ; and he 

 can keep from being eaten about as cleverly as 

 any of the deer tribe. His eye alone is a marvel 

 of development. It protrudes from the socket 



