16 
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY 
Thomomys columbianus. Columbian Pocket Gopher. — Two specimens were 
taken in June, 1914, in the meadows at the edges of the willows along the Walla 
Walla River east of Wallula, and mounds were numerous at this place. A few 
mounds were also observed in sagebrush on the lower slopes of the hills to the 
south. Pocket gophers occur sparingly in the prairie hills near Prescott, but they 
are much more abundant in the meadows and orchards along the Touchet River. 
They occur in open timber, but only very rarely under heavy shade. In an 
alfalfa meadow of about ten acres 75 gophers were trapped in the spring of 1913. 
Gophers are active more or less all winter near Prescott, but there is a great 
increase of activity in the spring, as is shown by the number of fresh mounds 
thrown up at that time. In 1913 the increase of activity was very apparent in 
the early part of March. Seemingly, the males become active in spring several 
weeks before the females; during March and the early part of April, 1913, nearly 
all those taken were males. Gophers seem to breed early in the vicinity of 
Prescott. In 1913 small animals from one-half to three-fourths grown were 
common in the latter part of March and in April. One female taken April 5, 
1913, contained a mass of unformed embryos. April 29 a female was taken in the 
same burrow from which a male had been taken a few days previously. On 
April 29 in another burrow a fresh nest was found. This nest was made of grass 
and alfalfa leaves, some of which were still green. The nest, which had only one 
entrance, was about 8 inches below the surface of the ground and was about 2 
feet from the nearest mound. 
Thomomys fuscus fuscus. Brown Pocket Gopher. — Numerous all over the 
Blue Mountains. Near Hompeg Falls they were abundant from the bottoms of 
the canyons to the tops of the ridges, occurring even in very rocky ground. They 
were abundant on rocky slopes and in yellow pine forest. A few occurred also in 
lowland fir forest in the bottom of the canyon under quite heavy shade. In 
dry places on the higher ridges of the mountains they were common in open 
ground, in brush, in alpine fir forest, and in western larch forest. At Pullman 
they are common in the valleys and on the prairie hills. 
Perognathus parvus parvus. Oregon Pocket Mouse. — The skulls of pocket 
mice taken at Wallula have smaller bullae than those of Perognathus 1. lordi 
from Okanagan, British Columbia, or from Prescott, Washington, and cannot 
then be referred to P. 1. columbianus, which is stated by Osgood (1900, p. 40) 
to have larger bullae and mastoids than lordi. These specimens agree with the 
description of parvus and are referred to that form. The pelage is lighter in color 
than that of lordi. 
A considerable number of pocket mice were taken in sagebrush near the Walla 
Walla River three miles east of Wallula during June, 1914. They occurred both 
in areas of drifting sand and in areas of packed sand. One was trapped in 
bunchgrass on top of the hills to the south. All seem to be of the same species. 
These mice are sometimes active during the day as is shown by tracks on wind- 
blown sand. The cheek pouches often contain seeds of grasses and of other 
plants. A female taken June 10 contained four rather large embryos. 
Perognathus lordi lordi. Northwest Pocket Mouse. — Common in the bunch- 
grass areas and grain fields of the region about Prescott. Although they occur 
in the open parts of the Touchet Valley none have been taken near timber or 
brush. A female taken near Prescott July 7, 1914, contained eight small 
