120 The American Naturalist. [February, 
pouches.” (See p. 15, Bulletin, No. 5, “The Pocket Gophers of 
the United States).” : 
The writer has, however, on several occasions in northern 
Iowa, observed this animal (Geomys bursarius), to carry dirt out 
of its burrow in its cheek pouches, and eject it in exactly the 
same manner as Dr. Merriam describes their method of empty- 
ing their cheek pouches of food, which is as follows: The fore 
feet are brought back simultaneously along the sides of the 
head until they had reached a point opposite the hinder end of 
the pouches; they are then pressed firmly against the head 
and carried forward. “In this ways the contents of the pouches 
are promptly dumped in front of the animal.” (See p. 19, 
Monographical Revision of the Pocket Gophers.) 
This action of the fore feet is also apparently accompanied 
by some muscular action of the cheek pouches themselves. 
This act of carrying dirt in the cheek pouches, I have person- 
ally observed, and several times killed the animal while in the 
very act, and have with my own hands completed the opera- 
tion. I am not, however, prepared to say that this is really a 
constant habit of this species in northern Iowa. 
It seems scarcely possible that so high authorities and keen 
observers as Dr. Merriam and Mr. Bailey should be deceived 
in their observations of the habits of this species in this respect 
in the regions they have studied; so we may consider their 
statements when applied to those regions, as eminently correct. 
PHOTOGRAPHING CEDAR BIRDS. 
By Dr. R. W. SHUFELDT. 
It is now over five years ago since the writer in THE AMER- 
1cAN NATURALIST invited the attention of photographers to 
the value to science of first-class photographs of living animals, 
taken in natural attitudes, so that they could be used as study- 
models for artists and taxidermists.!. Since contributing that 
1 SHUFELDT, R. W. Where young amateur photographers can be of assistance 
to Science. THE AMERICAN NATURALIST, V. XXV, No. 295, Phila., July, 1891, 
pp. 626-630. Plate XIII, Figure 1. 
