54 MAMMALS OF UTAH 



Habits — The White-tailed Prairie Dogs are very injur- 

 ious to green crops, as they frequently destroy cabbages, 

 cantelopes and other truck farm products. They do consid- 

 erable damage to range grasses and alfalfa fields. While 

 eating they sit erect on their hind legs, but if disturbed, run 

 to their burrows, carrying the food in their mouths. (Gary.) 



Owing to the constant danger to which they are sub- 

 ject from coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and badgers, in addition 

 to eagles and other birds of prey, prairie dogs are con- 

 stantly on the alert. At any suspicious occurrence the first 

 to observe it runs to his entrance mound, if the danger is 

 not pressing, but otherwise to the nearest mound, where he 

 sits up at his full length, "barking" and vibrating his tail, 

 ready, if necessary, to disappear instantly. At the same 

 time the "town" is alive with scurrying figures of the in- 

 habitants rushing to their homes. (Nelson.) 



UTAH PRAIRIE-DOG 



CYNOMYS PARVIDENS (Allen) 



Cynomys parvidens Allen, Science Bull.,' Mus. Brooklyn Inst. 

 Arts and Sci., I, No. 5, p. 119, March 31, 1905. 



Description — Adult in late summer : Entire upper parts 

 of head and body cinnamon or dark buffy cinnamon, with 

 very little admixture of buff or blackish hairs ; the individual 

 hairs blackish at bases, then narrowly pale buff, broadly 

 cinnamon, and tipped with dark brown. Spot of black above 

 eye very sharply marked; cheek patch of brown distinct; 

 sides of nose pale buff; eye ring ,ears, and limbs cinnamon; 

 feet dark buff; lips and chin whitish; underparts buffy or 

 cinnamon. Tail for half its length above concolor with 

 rump ; below cinnamon terminal half all around white, with- 

 out markings. Adults in early winter pelage: In general 

 like summer coat but with dense underfur which is black at 

 base, then light buff; upper parts rich cinnamon, the long 

 hairs with broad bands of black and buff ; sides of body yel- 

 lowish buff, distinctly marked from color of back, and 

 streaked by the bands of black on the longer overlying hairs. 



Distribution — Mountain valleys of central Utah in the 

 Sevier River region ; south from Nephi to Iron and Garfield 

 counties. Several specimens have been taken from Buck- 

 skin Valley and the Sevier National Forest. 



