GOODE ON THE HABITS OF GEOMYS TUZA. 285 
points, and one tunnel serves as a passage for a community, though fierce bat 
tles must often ensue when two rival claimants meet in a common highway. 
The nests are large chambers, one or two feet from the main tunnel, 
with which they are connected by side-passages, which leave nearly at right 
angles. Here the miners lay up a supply of provisions, and the chambers 
are often found to contain a half-bushel of sweet-potatoes cut up into chunks 
as large as peach-stones, and of convenient size to be carried in the pockets. 
The salamander is a liberal provider. In this region, cellars are unknown, and 
sweet-potatoes are stored in heaps at the surface, covered with straw and sand. 
The salamanders are cunning enough not to throw up sand-heaps in the 
vicinity of these potato-heaps, but remove the loose earth into their old tun 
nels. When they once get access to the "tater-hake,'' they quickly remove its 
contents, and the owner wakes up the some morning to find his cache a hollow 
pretense. In these side-chambers, the salamanders rear their young, building 
a nest of grass, pine-needles, and live-oak leaves. I found them breeding in 
April. 
The color of Geomys tuza is quite constant, light reddish-brown above, 
darker along the back, and lighter yellowish-brown beneath. One specimen 
was caught for me which showed a decidedly melanistic tendency, being 
nearly black. The measurements of a very large male are as follows : Nose 
to eye, 1& inches; nose to ear, II ; nose to root of tail, 11& ; tail from root to 
end of vertebrae, 3 ; arm, fore foot to end of claws, II; leg, hind foot from 
heel to end of claws, li; muzzle to bottom of cheek-pouch, 3; circumfer 
ence of expanded mouth of pouch, 5 ; distance from tip to tip of the longest 
toes of the fore feet, when stretched apart at right angles with the body, 71; 
same measurement applied to hind feet, 6 ; girth of body behind shoulders, 
5 ; distance from eye to eye, I ; distance from ear to ear, li. 
The contents of one of the cheek-pouches in sand filled an old-fashioned 
silver tablespoon, heaped full. The contents of the pouch of an ordinary 
salamander will fill a dessertspoon in the same way. 
