66 



SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 



increased rapidly, $. franklin i meanwhile diminishing till now perhaps 

 not more than a dozen of the latter will be seen in the course of a 

 whole season. At Leonard the 8. richardsoni has appeared this season 

 for the first time, but at Power, 10 miles south of there, it first ap- 

 peared in 1891. At Jamestown this gopher was first noticed in 1884, 

 though at Sanborn it seems to have appeared sooner, probably as 

 early as 1876. At Mayville it first appeared in the seasons of 1886 and 

 1887, having entered that region from the west. Since there are areas 

 of considerable extent in Barnes County where this species has never 

 been noted, it would indicate that it has passed into its new habitat 

 along irregular lines. Its movement in the second tier of counties west 

 of the Red River seems to have been south and east. 



" Spermophilus richardsoni, which bears the characteristic and very 

 appropriate name of 1 flickertail/ is harder to contend with than any 

 other species of this genus, the damage done by it being more and 

 more each year. Its chief depredations are committed during the 

 months of June and July when growing grain, especially corn, peas, 

 and garden crops are apt to be entirely destroyed by it. It is found 

 in greatest abundance in the agricultural regions lying just west of 

 the Red River Yalley and seems to thrive best in the presence of civ- 

 ilization. For several years it has been encroaching upon the farms in 

 the Red River Valley proper, but the wet season of last year [1891] 

 very nearly or quite exterminated it on the level lands." 



FOOD. 



The following table prepared from the examination of the stomachs 

 of eighteen specimens will give a more definite idea of the character 

 of the food of this species. Unfortunately the dates at which these' 

 specimens were taken cover little more than half of one month, none 

 being taken in spring or early summer, when their diet is of greater 

 importance in relation to agriculture. 



Summary. — Animal matter, 9.5 per cent ; vegetable matter, 90.3 per 

 cent; indeterminate matter, .2 per cent. 



This shows a diet of less insect and more vegetable matter than that 

 of either the Gray or Striped Spermophile, but the stomachs of this 

 species were all collected during the month of August, when in the 

 latitude of 48° to 49°, insect life is waning and there is a profusion 

 of the rich, oily, and fat-producing seeds and grains. However, the 

 large proportion of green herbage found in their stomachs clearly 

 proves them to be far more herbivorous than is usual with others of 

 the genus and shows a close connection in food habits, as well as in 

 many other respects, with the prairie dog. 



