GEOMYID^ 145 



night. Weasels are very fond of Gophers and are able to follow 

 the runs of adults. Bull snakes or gopher snakes feed principally 

 on gophers. They have no venom and should never be de- 

 stroyed. 



Thomomys bottse pallescens Rhoads. (Pale.) 



SOUTHERN POCKET-GOPHER. 



Paler and more tawny than bottct ; an indistinct dusky dor- 

 sal stripe; sides usually with an indistinct ochraceous bufif stripe 

 separating the color of the upper parts from that of the belly; 

 averaging larger than bott^ ; skull similar ; rostrum^ broader ; in- 

 cisors heavier and their front surfaces deeper yellow. 



Type locality, San Bernardino Valley, California. 



The Southern Pocket-Gopher is abundant in southern Cali- 

 fornia along the coast and in the valleys and is more or less 

 common in the mountains. 



One April morning I had an opportunity to watch a South- 

 ern Pocket-Gopher at work. It was wary but not shy. It saw 

 and watched me several seconds at a time. It paid a little at- 

 tention to vocal sounds that I made but not much. It seemed 

 to try tO' scent me. The light breeze blew toward it, distance 

 ten feet. When first noticed I think its pockets were empty. 

 I saw it gather some plants, including young wild oats. The 

 transfers of plants from mouth to po^ckets were made very quick- 

 ly, but I could not see just how it was done as its back w'as 

 toward me, though I could see the pockets swell. It went 

 down and brought more earth after a few seconds disappearance, 

 repeating this several times, occasionally picking more "greens." 

 That is, it did not immediately gO' off and eat or cache its food, 

 but worked on with the food in its pockets, occasionally adding 

 to its amount. In coming out of the run to gather the plants 

 it did not walk at its full height, but crouched, dragging its 

 belly on the ground, the hips and shoulders showing prominent- 

 ly above the vertebral outline. In pushing out the earth before 



