106 
FINDING NATURE’S TREASURES 
to the top of the ground. Then he pushes the sand up 
through it.” 
“He must be the champion digger,” said Buddy. “Just 
see all these piles. There are twenty-six of them.” 
“He digs for his dinner,” said Uncle Jack. “He feeds 
on the roots of plants. He digs until he comes to a root 
that he likes. If he isn’t hungry, he cuts off the root 
and puts it into one of the little storerooms he has. There 
he keeps it until he is hungry. When he wants to go to 
another place, he digs through the ground to it.” 
“What’s his name?” asked Buddy. 
“He is a Pocket Gopher,” answered Uncle Jack. “I see 
a fresh pile of sand near that bush. He may be working 
there now. Pocket gophers usually work at night, but 
sometimes they dig in the daytime when the sun is not 
shining. If we get behind the bush and are quiet, per¬ 
haps we can see this one.” 
They hid behind a thick bush and peeped over the top. 
They saw a pile of fresh sand with a hole in the center 
of it. Then they saw some sand coming up out of the 
hole. The sand came up higher and higher, and behind 
the sand was the brown head of the gopher. He was 
holding his two front feet with their big claws in front 
of his face, and he was pushing the sand with them. He 
came out of the hole and pushed the sand away. Then he 
went back. 
“Oh, he is a funny animal!” exclaimed Buddy. “He 
looks like a rat, but he has a bigger head.” 
“Did you see his little short tail?” asked Bess. 
“Those are the biggest claws that I ever saw,” said 
