52 



PPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 



in the latter part of April. In North Dakota Mr. Evelon Brown re- 

 ports them as first seen at Bathgate, in the spring of 1889, on April 3, 

 and in 1890 on April 21. In Minnesota Dr. Thomas S. Roberts reports 

 their first appearance at Minneapolis on April 30, 1877, and April 23, 

 1878, wliile Mr. Plummer L. Ong noted their first appearance at Hen- 

 nepin, Putnam County, 111., in the second week of April in 1884. Like 

 other hibernating animals, they usually come out i spring poor.' If the 

 stores of grain arc not eaten during winter, they probably are during 

 spring when other food is scarce. 



The young are evidently born some time in May or June, as by the 

 1st of August half- grown animals are out of the holes hunting food 

 for themselves. One female examined contained six embryos, which 

 is probably the usual number of young in a litter. 



Why this sperm ophile should not be considered fit for food is a mys- 

 tery, of which the only explanation seems to be an unreasonable and 

 almost universal prejudice against eating burrowing animals. I can 

 not speak from experience, but others who have eaten them say that 

 they are excellent, and other species of the same genus that I have 

 eaten are equal to the best of the tree squirrels. Anyone who will study 

 their habits carefully will find no reason why they should not be a staple 

 article of food. The holes in which they live are as clean as the home 

 of any squirrel ; new holes are dug each year or the old ones extended 

 into fresh soil. New nests of grass and soft plants are provided in 

 autumn, and no dirt of any kind is allowed to remain in the holes. Nor 

 is there anything in their food habits to render them objectionable. 



Injury to crops. — The following extracts from letters received by the 

 Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy contain interesting notes on 

 the habits of this species and the damage caused by its depredations : 



According to Mr. Lawrence Bruner of Lincoln, Nebr., "Franklin's 

 Spermophile is quite common in some parts and rare in others. It is 

 a pest to farmers. It is carnivorous, at least when in captivity, as I can 

 testify from experience with one I had caged during the greater part of 

 one summer. After having beenin the cage for about a month I turned in 

 a mouse, one day, in order to have a ' happy family 7 in my menagerie. 

 Imagine my horror, then, to see Mr. Squirrel pounce upon the mouse, 

 kill and eat it in such a manner as to indicate that it was not the first 

 mouse thus eaten. The bones were held in the fore feet and stripped 

 clean, after which they were dropped. The time occupied for the entire 

 task of killing and eating the mouse was not more than five minutes." 



Prof. L. L. Dyche, of Lawrence, Kans., gives the following account of 

 the species under date of October 12, 1888: "Not much damage is 

 (lone by this species (at least, not much thus far reported), except in 

 certain localities, and mostly where fields are inclosed by stone 

 witlls. The squirrels dig up the corn (and sometimes other seeds) soon 

 after it is planted in the spring and in the fall do some damage by 



