THE POCKET GOPHERS OP THE UNITED STATES. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The aim of the present bulletin is to give a popular account of the 

 Pocket Gophers of the United States. 



The name i Gopher' 1 is applied to these animals throughout the 

 greater part of the region they inhabit, though in the Southern States 

 they are commonly called 1 salamanders.' Since the real salamanders 

 are lizard-like animals, once believed to live in the tire, it seems prob- 

 able, as suggested by Dr. Goode, that the name was given to the Gophers 

 from the sudden appearance of their fresh mounds on ground recently 

 blackened by fire. In the Mississippi Valley the name Gopher is used 

 for the ground squirrels as well as the Pocket Gophers, while in the 

 south a burrowing turtle (Gopherus polyphemus) is called by the same 

 name. From the Gophers' habit of living underground they are some- 

 times confounded with the moles. A greater mistake could not be 

 made, for the moles belong to the widely different order of insectivores 

 and are among the most beneficial of mammals. 



The Pocket Gophers are sturdy little animals, well adapted to under- 

 ground life. Their bodies are stout and compact, their eyes are small, 

 almost rudimentary, and their front feet are armed with strong, curved 

 claws for digging. The appearance of a characteristic species is shown 

 in the frontispiece. Gophers can lay no claim to beauty, either in 

 graceful form or in pleasing contrast of colors; but their coats of 

 plain earthy browns harmonize perfectly with the color of the soil. 

 What seems like fur is in reality soft, silky hair, with a smoothness and 

 gloss that repels the dirt and keeps the animal bright and clean though 

 in constant contact with the soil. Such beauty as they have lies in 

 their perfect adaptation to a peculiar mode of life. 



Pocket Gophers belong among the rodents or gnawers. In general 

 they may be recognized by their peculiar form, already described, and 

 by the presence of cheek pouches opening outside of the mouth. The 

 only other mammals having external cheek pouches are the pocket mice 

 and kangaroo rats, which differ from the Gophers in slender, graceful 

 forms, long tails, and long hind legs. The Gophers may be subdivided 



J From Gaufre of the early French explorers 



9 



