A FELLOW WITH POCKETS IN HIS CHEEKS. 49 



reach, back to the shoulders ; they have no neck to 

 speak of. It was once supposed they packed their 

 cheek pouches with dirt, but they have better use for 

 them, for by their aid they fill with food the extensive 

 underground granaries that, in addition to the cham- 

 bers they in common with most burrowing animals 

 employ for their nests, they also excavate. 



They are wise animals, much better able to take 

 care of tliemselves than most four-footed beaats. 

 You may live a long time in their vicinity without 

 seeing one, and they are always wide awake if by 

 any chance they do poke their noses above ground. 

 They can run quite swiftly considering their rather 

 clumsy build, and, if caught, can and do bite terribly. 

 Their yellow front teeth are very large, and capable 

 of inflicting a fearful wound. The different species 

 average in size a rather large house rat. Some are 

 smaller than this ; others, again, are as large as a 

 muskrat. They are, as may be seen in the illustra- 

 tion, stoutly built, with claws adapted to digging, a 

 rather short tail, and very small eyes and ears. Their 

 fur is soft and much like that of a mole. 



The bed on which the mother gopher and her 

 young ones rest is in a little round chamber like the 

 inside of a football. It is made of soft grasses and 

 of fur plucked from her body. A great many pas- 

 sages center in this chamber, which enables the gopher 

 to reach her feeding grounds or to escape in any di- 

 rection from threatened danger. A sectional view of 

 this apartment is shown in the illustration under the 

 figure of the animal. 



