SANDY GOPHER. 43 



habits OF the sandy gopher (Geomys arenarius). 



So far as known this species is limited to the narrow strip of bottom 

 land along the Upper Rio Grande Valley from El Paso, Tex., to Las 

 Cruces, N. Mex., and on the Mimbres Eiver at Deming. It is abun- 

 dant in the mellow sandy soil of the fertile valley, where it is abso- 

 lutely surrounded by hard stony mesas and desert mountains. Below 

 this point the Rio Grande flows through a deep canyon with rocky 

 walls and scanty soil, which does not afford a suitable channel for the 

 Gophers to extern! their range. Kear El Paso they are especially 

 troublesome on farms that are irrigated, and thus made to yield the 

 largest crops, though wherever it is possible to turn the water into the 

 burrows they can be driven out. 



Mr. J. Alden Loring, who was sent to the Upper Rio Grande Yalley 

 to work out the range of this species, secured a large series from Las 

 Cruces, N. Mex., and Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, as well as at the 

 type locality, El Paso, Tex. Mr. Loring says: "They are not very 

 common on the Mexican side of the river, but extremely so on Ameri- 

 can soil, where they seem to thrive and grow fat. The places they 

 most prefer are railroad embankments and irrigation ditches, where 

 they were found both in sand and wet, dark clayey soil. Two were 

 seen on February 5 just as they protruded their heads from their holes. 

 Their faces were covered with dirt, and as soon as they had shaken it 

 off they saw me and quickly dodged back. When these Gophers were 

 caught I noticed that they walked with the claws of the front feet par- 

 tially doubled under, which did not allow the sole of the foot to touch 

 the ground. 7 ' 



habits of the padre island gopher (Geomys personalis). 



This is one of the largest Pocket Gophers of the United States. 

 Large specimens of the Prairie Gopher [Geomys bursarius) nearly or 

 quite equal it in size, though apparently the present species averages 

 slightly larger. A specimen collected on Padre Island by Mr. Lloyd 

 weighed 1 \ pounds, and measured from tip of nose to tix> of tail 310 mm. 

 (12.18 inches), and another still larger measured 320 mm. (12.63 inches). 

 Of the prairie species the largest in a series of 70 specimens measured 

 311 mm. (12.25 inches). Several species of Mexican gophers are con- 

 siderably larger. 



Geomys personatus was described by Mr. F. W. True from two speci- 

 mens collected on Padre Island, Texas. Later a fine series was col- 

 lected on the island by a field agent of the division, Mr. William 

 Lloyd, who furnished the following notes on the habits of the animal: 

 " Common, principally about the center of the island, but extending 

 clear to the north end. Apparently they do not occur for a distauce 

 of 20 miles along the southern extremity of the island. Some peculiar- 

 ities of habit are necessitated by their environment. Living in the 



