LIBRARY OF THE MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 3303, GIFT OF Quine ® Xe, 3), a 4 MOY tH eek gs a. ~ S. fe et Ber Be TAS EOE ign ° Anes we — yes ot aa ee Fay es ook end Coated kag ee ie Pa IO te pie eee aie ate aa ir 5 ~— # r se fs - 2 = 1? : ? “ al ~~ RC TS peg igs pers tay Ue er eee ay” 7 ~*~ ee sie LS ek ee ro “ cae, OK ay eee ae g* 4 rn teary et oat, A ta ‘ st e as mw we : bh Ks _ DIVISION OF ORNITHOLOGY AND MAMMALOGY BULLETIN No. 4 (AY | PRAIRIE Gory SQUIRRELS iguoe? OR OF THE | Mississ SIP PE VALLES PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF Dr. C. HART MERRIAM, Cuter or Drvisiox BY VERNON BAILEY angares PIELD 4 GEN? — PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICU LTURG ae WASHINGTON nd ty GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFIC. . ne Esta ee ‘ "1893 ’ > A —————_ leg UUeLUIINeL], a a rigs - ‘ABopoueyp pure AZojoyywo jo voisiaig ‘p oN unpeying U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DIVISION OF ORNITHOLOGY AND MAMMALOGY BULLETIN No. 4 (AE oe Wi cb PRAIRIE GROUND SQUIRRELS OR SPERMOPHILES OF THE Mibpsi=as=tPPL VALLEY . PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF Dr. C. HART MERRIAM, Cuter or DIvIsION BY VERNON BAILEY CHIEF FIELD AGENT PUBLISHED BY AUTIIORNITY OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICZ 1893 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DIVISION OF ORNITHOLOGY AND MAMMALOGY, Washington, D. C., August 17, 1893. Srr: I have the honor to transmit herewith a report on the Ground Squirrels or Spermophiles of the Mississippi Valley, for publication as Bulletin No. 4 of this Division. This report has been prepared by Mr. Vernon Bailey, chief field agent of the Division. Since it is intended as an economic bulletin it is devoted chiefly to the food habits and distribution of the several spe- cies, technical matter being omitted. The accompanying illustrations were drawn by Mr. Ernest E. Thomp- son. Respectfully, | C. HART MERRIAM, Chief of Division. Hon. J. STERLING MORTON, Secretary of Agriculture. CONTENTS. MINI COUT Soin, 66 oss oso co oe 6 onda hata dees on telqoeced cae deuseteet MMR IT CON Sete. ae in ws oo ania nice Beas Sono e tt awew ew ar Seu lea Wee wae NNR UG CIRM a Sa ees Ss cian Sia wd eens ae ets wos See ele Go as Sekine Pe Oty, GING AEN VESUI SALIONG . W50 . 2 a5 on se ais ede ssw ees eee ocvicis da bd aclen de Se OEPORNOMMONOG S220 acco t+ eh eee cetaes eee ys os joni Vase ew eee ee Oi eM clas ei ie hh wat nia ss ee a ele o's ve Oe we ws Joe wokse eM Mase NEM rere iS a ian ola ow ton ake vy os Odeo Seas skouc see Re putacueuises Of Spermopliles.._-. 25. 4.5.5 - Sone. Cee bb cabs scea wees OMMINOSS rs os facia eae oe eee Se one Dawe el we eS sara wate fase, Sear ieee iyections to the bounty system -.-... 2-2... 2.25 222. nes. oes cece set eee Methods of destroying prairie dogs and spermophiles....................---- RRP Rn ees Re ios Aa i. Sh eden odes Bc dete whe eo ee Mere ase Mercenaries e Sa econ aoe ee ees teens hae Ee et re atte, oo ob uicasd Sac econ ee Soe bene we eee eee a Experiments with bisulphide of carbon ...-.-.-...----..--.--22---- - eee RERUN CIES Roe ota cies Ss a a Sia ade anos Sak wal ac's toed ae meee Striped Prairie Spermophile (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) ..........---.---- Mexican Spermophile (Spermophilus mexicanus) ........---.------------e0-08 Franklin’s Spermophile (Spermophilus franklini) ..........-.--------- beans Kennicott’s Spermophile (Spermophilus spilosoma obsoletus) .....--..---.------ Richardson’s Spermophile (Spermophilus richardsoni) .....0. 2c00see0 seeeeecnee 5 ILLUSTRATIONS, PLATES, Page. Plate I. Striped Spermophile (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) .....---- Frontispiece. II. Franklin’s Spermophile (Spermophilus WF GHITRNNS oo whic nn kcougascuee 48 III. Richardson’s Spermophile (Spermophilus richardsoni).....-.-..--+---++ 58 MAPS, Map 1. Distribution of the Striped Spermophile (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus). 2. Distribution of Franklin’s Spermophile (Spermophilus franklini). 3. Distribution of Kennicott’s Spermophile (Spermophilus spilosoma ob- soletus) and the Mexican Spermophile (Spermophilus mexicanus). 4, Distribution of Richardson’s Spermophile (Spermophilus richardsoni) and the Wyoming Spermophile (Spermophilus richardsoni elegans). 7 ot ‘ nana tae THE PRAIRIE GROUND SQUIRRELS OR SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. INTRODUCTION. The destructive animals that form the subject of the present bulletin belong to the genus Spermophilus, and are commonly known as spermo- philes. The name is derived from the Greek words ozépya, seed, and gtastv, to love, in allusion to the fact that seeds form a large proportion of the food of the various species. In the Old World the spermophiles are known as sousliks, while in America they are popularly called gophers or ground squirrels. The term ‘gopher,’ however, belongs properly to a very different group of animals, to which it should be restricted, namely the pocket gophers which have external cheek pouches, and resemble the moles in living underground and throwing up little mounds along the courses of their subterranean tunnels. ‘Ground Squirrel’ is a less objectionable name, because these animals really are ground squirrels; the term is however commonly applied to thechipmunks belonging to the related genus Tamas ; hence the name spermophile is here used in preference to either of the others. The object of the present bulletin is to describe the haunts and habits of the five species inhabiting the Mississippi Valley region, and to summarize the remedies that have been used with greatest success in holding their numbers in check. Spermophilus is a large genus, and is found throughout the greater portion of the north temper- ate region of both bemispheres from eastern Europe across northern Asia, and over the western two-thirds of North America. The total number of species and subspecies of spermophiles inhabiting the United States is about thirty-five, and most of them are restricted to the arid ’ and subarid region west of the Rocky Mountains. Throughout their range, wherever the land is under cultivation, they are among the most destructive of mammals, feeding on grain, fruit, and garden vegetables to such an extent that the annual losses from their depredations must be counted in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Several States have paid large sums in bounties for their destruction, without materially reducing their numbers. The region here considered comprises the Mississippi Valley in a very broad sense, including the fertile prairies of the valley proper, and 9 10 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. also the Great Plains as far west as the foothills of the Rocky Moun- tains. In a north and south direction it embraces the vast area stretch- ing from the Mexican boundary and the Gulf of Mexico north to the plains of the Saskatchewan River. It comprises the largest and by far the most important continuous stretch of agricultural land on the con- tinent, and the greater part of it is now under high cultivation. Five very distinct species of spermophiles inhabit this region, four of which are restricted to it, namely: Richardson’s Spermophile (Spermophilus richardsoni), Franklin’s Spermophile (Spermophilus Sranklini), the Striped Spermophile (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), and Kennicott’s Spermophile (Spermophilus spilosoma obsoletus); the fifth, the Mexican Spermophile (Spermophilus mexicanus), ranges southward over the table-land of Mexico as far as the Valley of Mexico. Only two species (S. franklint and S. tridecemlineatus) range east of the Mississippi River, and these find their extreme eastern limits respectively in west- ern Indiana and eastern Michigan. On account of the immense damage done to crops these animals have been the subject of investigation at some of the agricultural collegesand experiment stations in the West, and several bulletins have been issued containing notes on their food habits or giving directions for their destruction. In 1878 Prof. E.W. Hilgard, of the University of California, published a bulletin on the destruction of ground squirrels by the use of bisul- phide of carbon.* This method has proved by far the most successful of any thus far put in practice, and has been largely adopted with gratifying success. (See pp. 29-30.) Mr. E. J. Wickson in his work on California Fruits devotes a para- graph to methods of destroying ground squirrels in orchards.t He rec- ommends three means of extermination: (1) Poisoned wheat; (2) bisul- phide of carbon, and (3) ‘smokers.’ The latter term includes the various devices for burning sulphur or damp straw and forcing the fumes into the burrows, thereby suffocating the inmates. In August, 1889, Prof. C. P. Gillette published the results of an exam- ination of the omni. of twenty-two specimens of the Striped Sper- mophile (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) in a paper entitled ‘Food Hab- its of the Striped Prairie Squirrel’t He showed that this species is not an unmixed evil, for besides large quantities of grain, it eats numbers of grasshoppers, wireworms, and other noxious insects. He concludes that a large proportion of its food is made up of insects, which seem to consist almost exclusively of injurious species, chiefly cutworms, webworms, and grasshoppers, and adds: ‘The squirrels — would be a most valuable adjunct to any cornfield after planting if some method could be devised to prevent them from taking the corn.” *Bulletin of the University of California, No. 32, April, 1878. tE. J. Wickson: The California Fruits and How to Grow Them. San Prange 1889, p. 554. t Bulletin No. 6, lowa Agricultural Experiment Station, August, 1889, pp. 240-244. INTRODUCTION. 11 Continuing this same line of investigation, Mr. J. M. Aldrich, of the — South Dakota Agricultural College and Experiment Station, published a paper on the Food Habits of the Striped Gopher, in March, 1892.* _ Mr. Aldrich, after referring to Prof. Gillette’s previous examinations, also gives the results of an examination of fifteen stomachs made by | himself, and says: ‘“‘As far as our observations go they did not give the gopher as favorable showing as Prof. Gillette’s did.” (See pp. 40-42.) One of the bulletins of the Oregon Experiment Station contains an important paper by Prof. F. L. Washburn on ‘Gophers and Moles.’t It is devoted mainly to methods of destroying the pocket gopher (Tho- momys) and mole (Scapanus), and gives several illustrations of traps said to be specially adapted for the capture of these animals. A few suggestions for destroying the ‘Digger Squirrel’t are added, and bi- sulphide of carbon and strychnine recommended for this purpose. Recently Prof. F. J. Niswander, entomologist of the Wyoming Experi- ment Station, has published a bulletin on ‘Ground Squirrels.”§ After giving evidence from several correspondents as to the injuries caused by spermophiles in the vicinity of the station at Laramie, Wyo., he recommends the use of bisulphide of carbon for destroying the animals. Unfortunately the author has mistaken the southern form of Richard- son’s Spermophile (Spermophilus richardsoni elegans), found in this lo- cality, for Franklin’s (S. franklini), which latter is a widely different animal and one that does not reach Wyoming at ail. This bulletin con- tains two full-length illustrations, one of the California Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi), the other of the southern Rocky Mountain Spermophile (Spermophilus grammurus), neither of which species occurs in Wyoming. PLAN OF THE INVESTIGATIONS. The work of bringing together the facts upon which the present bul- letin is based may be arranged under three heads, namely, correspond- ence, field work, and laboratory work. Correspondence.—In 1886 a circular was widely distributed in which information was asked for respecting the habits, ranges, and distribu- tion of pocket gophers and spermophiles (Circular No. 3, Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy). In response hundreds of letters were received, and while many of them contained matter of little value or statements that were evidently * South Dakota Agricultural College and Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 30, March, 1892, pp. 8-11. t Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 25, April, 1893, pp. 14-23, pl. 111; 10 figs. in text. } The species which occurs in Oregon is not Spermophilus beecheyi, as here given, but the closely related form douglasii. § Wyoming Experiment Station Bulletin, No. 12, April, 1893, pp. 25-35. Figs. 1-3. 12 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. incorrect, the greater number were simple statements of fact thatadded § much new and original information to the previous knowledge of the habits and distribution of North American mammals. A marked inter- est in the subject was awakened throughout the country, and many naturalists and others in. position to observe the habits of mammals contributed notes of especial interest. | In July, 1888, and again in January, 1889, copies of the following cir- 9 cular were distributed throughout the Mississippi Valley, asking for spe- — cific information respecting the Striped Spermophile (Spermophilus tri- decemlineatus), Franklin’s Spermophile (Spermophilus franklini), and the pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) with a view to procuring data from — which to map accurately the range of the several species and at the © saine time to gain as much information as possible concerning their food — and all habits relating directly or indirectly to agriculture. q [CIRCULAR ON GOPHERS, NO. 9.] U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DIVISION OF ECONOMIC ORNITHOLOGY AND MAMMALOGY, Washington, D.C., , 188—. Mr. ; DEAR Sir: The Department of Agriculture wishes to secure enough information concerning the range of the three species of Gophers which inhabit the Mississippi Valley to enable it to map with precision the exact area occupied by each. Any information relating to the subject, though not covered by the following questions, will be thankfully received. * # * * * * * I. Is the Striped Gopher or Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineaius) present in your neighborhood? : If so, is it destructive to farm crops? Has it any beneficial traits? II. Is the Gray Gopher or Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus franklini) present in your neighborhood ? If so, is it destructive to farm crops? = Has it any beneficial traits? + * * * * % * [ Washington, D.C., July 30, 1888. ] The replies to this circular made it possible to map the range of these animals with greater accuracy and detail than otherwise could have been accomplished. Each locality from which specimens were ex- | amined was marked on a large map of the United States devoted to the species. These maps formed the basis for the accompanying dis- tribution maps. Between the positive localities a multitude of reports — of occurrence cover the ground, save in certain definite areas where for — some reason the species does not occur. In determining the extreme limits of the range of each species, the localities from which it has been reported are of material assistance as indicating areas from which speci- mens should be obtained in order to settle beyond question the identity — of the species. All doubtful records have been discarded. INTRODUCTION. | 13 ; Many of the replies to Circular 9, and to other special letters of } inquiry, contained detailed accounts of injury to crops, interesting notes : on the habits of the spermophiles, and various means employed for | their destruction. A few extracts from these letters are given under § each species and present the case as seen by those most deeply inter- ested. Some of the reports may be prejudiced, but in many the good as well as the evil traits of the animals are recognized. Field work.—Competent men employed by the Division as special field agents have been sent to parts of the country from which com- plaints had been received concerning the ravages of spermophiles. | In some cases the reports of damage to crops were found to be exag- _gerated or attributed to the wrong species, and such errors were corrected by means of these field investigations. Specimens of the animals were collected for identification and comparison, their abund- ance was carefully estimated, their geographic range, details of distri- bution, breeding habits, food habits at different seasons of the year, and the various methods employed for their destruction were care- fully studied, and a large number of stomachs was collected and - preserved in alcohol for subsequent examination in the laboratory. Nor were the investigations limited to spermophiles and pocket gophers, for some attention was given to the habits of their natural _ enemies, particularly the birds and mammals that prey upon them. In _ examining the stomachs of hawks and owls remains of spermophiles were frequently found, and in some instances the birds were seen in the act of catching or eating them. Badgers were found to spend con- siderable time in digging ground squirrels and pocket gophers out of their holes, and to be of no small importance in holding in check the num- _ bers that otherwise would add their increase to present hordes. Other _ animals also were found to feed upon them, as mentioned in detail later, Laboratory work.—Though the contents of many stomachs were _ examined in the field such examinations were made mainly for the pur- _ pose of learning the sort of food selected by the spermophiles so that _ their habits might be more fully understood. The stomachs of most of the specimens were preserved in alcohol, and each was labeled with a tag of parchment paper bearing a number in carbon ink. A _ corresponding number was entered on a schedule and followed by the name and sex of the animal, place where taken, date, hour at which killed, and such notes as might help in understanding any peculiarity of food found in the stomach. Such notes were usually a brief state- ment of the animal’s surroundings when killed; as, ‘near wheat field,’ ‘in meadow,’ ‘on open prairie,’ or ‘on edge of cornfield.’ These pre- served stomachs, together with the accompanying schedules, were for- warded to the Department for critical examination. Each stomach was cut open, the contents spread out on a plate, and enough water added to wash out the fine sediment. Among the coarser materials were found hairs, feathers, the outer coats of grains, shells of seeds, 14. SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. the legs, wings, heads, and jaws of grasshoppers, beetles, and various other insects, the skins of caterpillars, and a great variety of things, as shown in the tables prepared from the examinations. Unlike the contents of many birds’ gizzards, everything had been chewed, not swallowed whole; very few complete insects were found in condition to be identified although it was often possible to recognize the genus but rarely the species. Grains and seeds could be iden- tified more frequently. Softer materials, as foliage and flowers, could — be easily distinguished as such, but the species could seldom be told. As far as possible the different materials from each stomach were separated and the relative proportions carefully estimated. The difficulty in perfectly separating the different kinds of food prevented any attempt at weighing or measuring to obtain precise proportions. Hence the percentages given are only approximate. In examining the contents of cheek pouches much more definite results were obtained. The seeds and grains carried in them were usually in perfect condition and easily identified by comparison with seeds in the laboratory collection. In the preparation of this bulletin the mass of original notes con- tributed by observers has been supplemented by frequent references to the literature of the subject, and numerous extracts have been made from reliable sources. The results of the investigations of several ex- periment stations have been freely used. Partofthechapter on methods of destruction, and some of the notes on Spermophilus tridecemlineatus, S. franklini, and S. richardson, together with the plates illustrating these species, have already appeared in a paper by the author in the Annual Report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 1892, pp. 186-189. | . It would be impracticable, even were it desirable, to mention the large number of correspondents who have contributed data. Some . have sent in specimens, others valuable notes on the range or habits of the several species, while the answers received to letters of inquiry on the subjects of distribution and bounties alone number several hun- dred. Much information on the distribution of these spermophiles is still needed from localities near the limits of their ranges. But without the assistance so freely given it would have been almost impossible to determine precisely the areas inhabited by the species, and acknowledg:- ments are due to all who have aided the work. NATURAL ENEMIES. 15 NATURAL ENEMIES OF SPERMOPHILES. The most important natural enemies of spermophiles are the diurnal birds of prey. Day after day the marsh hawk (Cireus hudsonius) may be seen gliding over fields and prairies, occasionally making a sudden turn and diving to the ground to pick up a mouse or sper- mophile. According to Dr. A. K. Fisher, “Its food consists largely of small rodents, such as meadow mice, half-grown squirrels, rabbits, and spermophilés or ground squirrels. In fact, so extensively does it feed on the last-named animals that the writer rarely has examined a stomach from the West which did not contain their remains.”* The heavier hawks, as the red-tail and Swainson’s hawk, inhabiting the prairie country also subsist largely upon them. Even the ferruginous roughleg (Archibuteo ferrugineus), one of the largest of our hawks, is not above making a meal of one when an oppor- tunity offers. I once surprised one of these hawks*in a hot pursuit of a Striped Spermophile, which, however, succeeded by active dodging in - reaching a hole in time to escape. ‘This bird is known as the ‘Cali- fornia squirrel hawk’ in some localities, but it is not to be inferred that they often capture the agile arboreal Sciwri. The name is gained from their feeding extensively, in California, upon the ‘ground squirrels’ (Spermophilus beecheyi), which abound in many parts of that State. The hawks are almost always, too, observed in the vicinity of the set- tlements of the Spermophili, standing on the ground where there are no trees, or flying low over the surface, in either case on the alert to seize any unlucky animal that may venture too far from home. They are also said to perch in wait at the entrance of the burrows, ready to clutch the first animal that shows his nose above ground.”+ Ordinarily owls and spermophiles do not meet, as each sleeps during the hours in which the other is active. Thediurnal snowy owl and hawk owl may find other spermophiles far to the north, but in winter, when they come south over the United States, these animals are in their winter dens. The little burrowing owl (Speotyto c. hypogea), though active both day and night, feeds principally upon grasshoppers and beetles; but once I shot one as it carried a nearly full-grown Striped Spermophile in its claws. It is probable that it destroys many of the smaller species of spermophiles or their young. Capt. Chas. E. Bendire gives the following account of an experiment Showing that the burrowing owl will kill and eat adult spermophiles: “Tn this vicinity [Walla Walla, Wash.] these owls seem to live to a great extent on that pest of the farmer, Townsend’s Ground Squirrel (Spermo. philus richardsoni tounsendi Allen), which would be much more de- structive if not kept down by these owls. In order to satisfy myself *Bulletin No. 3, The Hawks and Owls of the United States, 1893, p. 27, tCoues, Birds of the Northwest, 1874, p. 366. 16 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. that they were actually able to kill adult squirrels, I trapped several and placed them alive (they had been caught in a wire trap and were not at all injured) in a room with a pair of these owls. As soon as no- ticed by the latter, one of them would fasten his talons into the squirrel’s back and, with a few well-directed strokes of its beak, break the vertebre of the neck and eat the head of the squirrel, often before the latter was quite dead; yet the remainder of the body was usually left and devoured later. I was surprised to see how easily they killed these squirrels, which made scarcely any resistance.” (Ornithologist and Odlogist, Vol. v1, 1881, pp. 41-42.) No less than 16 of the 73 species and subspecies of hawks and owls found in the United States and British America are known to prey on the various members of the genus Spermophilus. The following species have been reported to feed on these animals, and more careful observa- tions will undoubtedly increase the list: HAWKS. OWLS. Circus hudsonius.. Strix pratincola. Accipiter cooperi. Bubo v. subarcticus. Parabuteo u. harrisi. Nyctea nyctea. Buteo b. krideri. Surnia ulula caparoch. Buteo b. calurus. Speotyto c. hypogea. Buteo swainsoni. Glaucidium g. californicum, Archibuteo ferrugineus. Aquila chrysaétos. Haliwetus leucocephalus. Falco mexicanus. In our investigations of the food of hawks and owls the remains of spermophiles were actually found in the stomachs of 22 specimens representing 7 species of these birds. The total number of stomachs of these species examined was 981. This proportion (about 24 per cent) does not represent the true percentage of spermophiles in the bird’s food inasmuch as a very large number of the stomachs were ob- tained from birds killed in the eastern United States where spermo- philes do notoccur. Thus, in a total of 562 stomachs of the redtail (Buteo borealis) and its subspecies, 477 were taken in States east of the range of Spermophilus; and of 127 stomachs of the great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) only 53 were taken within the range of this genus, and of these 11 were empty. If, on the other hand, all empty stomachs and all those taken outside the range of Spermophilus are discarded (a total of 799), the percentage containing spermophiles is increased from 24 to 12; while 23 per cent of the marsh hawks examined, 25 per cent of the prairie falcons, and 40 per cent of Harris’ hawks were found to have fed on these animals, as shown in detail in the following table: NATURAL ENEMIES. 1 Table showing stomachs of Hawks and Owls which contained Spermophiles.* Teta . P : number of Species. Locality. Date. Spermophiles. aiatinghs examined. Marsh hawk........-.- Travare, S. Dak......... July 5,1887| Spermophilus 13-lineatus GY oc oae3 ae ok Pembina, Nak se ocata cs July 30, 1887 |...---. CLONE one oe ate Sle SPG tated datas clase a “a Re ea BGs oye eee ee ae RED secsctelaeicdiere shes. oe MUG e eerc ohare scilioicm are) GOMmcceetee ase ewes AGO) S-Sane=| secs OP 2 is Saicetcwen es WOES Cache cs ose: Devils Lake, N. Dak -.- .| Aug. TASS Teles ose GOs~ Saaook es eek DOM eerie os. ae as Cheyenne, Wyo.......-. Aug. PIASBS jo. 5 ot QO Scone nee ae MIO Petes oaisn cine Birch Creek, Idaho ..... Aug. 4, 1890 | Spermophilus mollis. -.. 30 Cooper’s hawk.......-. Three Rivers, Cal....-..- July 28,1891 | Spermophilus beecheyi 22 Harris’ hawk .......... Pheonix, AriZ >...i00- 202 May 13, 1889 Bpepnophilne tereticau- us DORE cee = ae Solace oe OO erence ere noses tet a doen aoe Spermophilus........-.. 5 Red-tailed hawk ..-.-..-- Devils Lake, N. Dak ..-..) Aug. 11, 1887 | Spermophilus franklini : and §. 13-lineatus. Worst ees ts. n Vermillion, S. Dak...-.--. Apr. 9,1890| Spermophilus 13-lineatus Ort jaceicscic aces < San Francisco Mt., Ariz.| Aug. 3,1889! Spermophilus lateralis. - Worse svece sede assess OOo ss=csesscien> Ss Aug. 26, 1889 |..---- WO Picea nei ceee seca 12 reser pee creas eee ee Olevia sasahewecacsac Sept. 16, 1889 |...-.- HOLM t ac sebes sue TLO oes Sue a Se ae elosess (OKT) te ies June 12, 1887 |...--- QObo seco oats sas POG es cire Sei’ Seiae Marfa, ‘Texas-.-.....:.. Jan. 19,1890 | Spermophilus grammu- 60 rus. Swainson’s hawk...-.. Birch Creek, Idaha..-.. Aug. 4,1890 | Spermophilus mullis - -.. 15 Prainie falcon --....... Cheyenne, Wyo eee ee Aug. 3,1888 | Spermophilus13-lineatus SUE Ae ee Laramie Mts., Wyo..... Aug. 4,1888| Spermophilus richard- 8 soni elegans. Horned owl...-.-.....-- .| Camp Verde, Ariz...... Oct. 28,1885 | Spermophilus harrisi-.- WORM cecicacclienecaleerecs G0rcsecae Bpcocerescs Aug. 28, 1886 | Spermophilus grammu- 42 ? rus. *Compiled from tables in Bulletin No. 3, The Hawks and Owls of the United States, 1893. t Only those stomachs which contained food and which were taken within the region inhabited by spermophiles are included. Among mammals, the spermophiles’ greatest enemy is undoubtedly the badger which makes a regular business of finding and digging out the holes in which they live, and devouring the occupants. I have found their remains in a badger’s stomach after the spermophiles had hibernated, so that none could be caught in traps. In speaking of the habits of this animal, Dr. Coues says: ‘“‘The badger, too slow of foot to capture the nimble rodents which form its principal food, perpetually seeks them in their own retreats; and it is the work of a few minutes for this vigorous miner to so far enlarge their burrows that it can enter and reach the deepest recesses. In places where the badgers and spermophiles most abound, the con- tinual excavation of the soil by these animals fairly undermines and honeycombs the ground.” (Fur-Bearing Animals, 1877, p.281.) Though the badger indulges in quite a varied diet spermophiles are his main dependence, and where they are abundant badgers are usually abundant also. As the country becomes settled, badgers are killed whenever opportunity offers, either for sport or because they have been known to trouble the poultry yard. As a result the spermophiles increase more rapidly unless other means be employed for their destruction. Foxes, coyotes, and wild cats do not lose an opportunity to dine upon any small mammal that comes in their way, though as the greater part of their hunting is carried on at night fewer spermophiles than noc- turnal animals fall to their prey. Doubtless a few of the smaller species are captured by skunks, though a greater part of the food of the 4032—No. 42 18 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. skunk consists of smaller game, insects, and fruit. The long-tailed weasel (Putorius longicauda) is one of their most deadly enemies. It readily enters the burrows and kills the occupants without the slightest inconvenience. On the prairies of the Dakotas, Nebraska, — and Wyoming they may frequently be seen running quickly from one hole to another, and as is usual with weasels, they probably kill far more than they can eat, merely for the pleasure of killing. These weasels always seem to be rather scarce, else no spermophiles would remain alive. There is no doubt that the larger snakes destroy great numbers, especially of the young, though definite information on the subject is scarce. I have frequently found large bull snakes (Pituophis) crawl- ing in or out of their holes, and have found pocket gophers and other animals of the size of small spermophiles in the snakes. Thus it may be seen that without the aid of man there are abundant provisions for regulating the abundance of these animals and prevent- ing their too rapid increase. The great danger is that in some of his blind efforts to rearrange matters in a more satisfactory manner man will destroy his friends instead of his enemies. BOUNTIES. The damage done by spermophiles is so great that the expedient of offering bounties for their destruction has been tried in several States where these pests are most abundant. Iowa, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, and more recently Washington, have all expended large amounts in this way. In 1888 and 1889 an attempt was made to ascertain the amounts act- ually paid for the destruction of spermophiles and pocket gophers in the Dakotas, Iowa, and Minnesota, but owing to the difficulty in obtaining accurate returns, the investigation was abandoned. With the exception of Minnesota there were no State laws, the bounties being paid by the counties, and this necessitated obtaining returns from the auditor of each county. A more serious difficulty was the fact that these returns in- cluded bounties on several species of mammals, and sometimes birds, and gave merely the total amount expended, making it almost impossible in most cases to ascertain the proportion paid for the destruction of each species. In the following tables given under each State returns are in- cluded only from counties which it is reasonably certain.paid some part of the bounty on spermophiles. In some cases the county records were found to be very incomplete, and in others no replies were received to the letters of inquiry sent out, so that only a part of the counties which have actually paid bounties areineluded. For these reasons the tables are necessarily very incomplete and are only included for the purpose of giving a general idea of the large amounts expended for the destruction of ground squirrels. Dakota.—Bounties in the Territory of Dakota were paid by the coun- ties, there being no Territorial bounty. The following resolutions passed. ¢ Ah eagles ae? 2 en ee BOUNTIES. 19 by the board of county commissioners of Rolette County may be taken as an example of the law under which the bounties were paid: ‘That a bounty of 3 cents each be paid for the killing of each gopher within the following described territory in the county of Rolette. * * * The tails of all gophers caught to be preserved and taken before one of the officers hereinafter mentioned, and an affidavit made and subscribed before such officers, setting forth that the gophers were killed within the boundaries of said territory, and since the passage of this resolution, and the several officers hereinafter designated * * * areinstructed to carefully examine the persons making such affidavit as to the truth- fulness of their statement set forth therein, and such officers to preserve the tails of the gophers so caught and return them together with the affidavits taken by them.” Under the above resolution county warrants were issued to the amount of $1,940.85 for 64,695 gopher tails produced and verified by affidavits. The following table shows that ten counties now included in North Dakota expended $37,248.16 for the destruction of spermophiles, while three counties now in the State of South Dakota paid $2,247.86, of which $74.63 was spent for pocket gophers. Table showing bounties paid on Spermophiles by Counties of North Dakota. Total amount paid on Total County. Rate. | Date. | spermophiles Bent), Remarks. and other unit y animals. J: Cents 2 eee STi aee |. Gane boy! #15, 000. 00 2 | 1886 "300. 00 July 7 to Aug. 6. Benson......-------- ; 3 | 1887 1, 200 a 1, 500. 00 yee 11 to June 11. p 3 1886 400. 00 EAN | Bottineau ........--- j ath foe ee fh 1,500.00 | May 1 to July 1. 1887 1, 800. 00 WRVAET \ Secsce ecu +20 1888 700. 00 6, 000. 00 1889 3, 500. 00 Griegs)-2- sass. os.<: 3 1887 5, 200. 60 5, 200.60 | Bounty withdrawn. LLG MCT BSS CSSS 08 4) ae ee ae eas [ee es et a Ve 2 ‘* County has expended thousands of dollars to destroy the gray go- her.’—George R. Fralick, La oure, N. Dak., Aug., 1888. Neleon oeeeeeeeee Bk | ARE 2 BL, suo. [esas fo September Ramsey ...... Ae 3 1887 774, 05 774.05 | May and June. No bounty in 1888. 10) DS ee ee 4 1887 1, 940. 85 1, 940.85 | J ne 8 to pee gray gophers pre- ominated about 4 to 1. 24 1888 396. 21? Towner .....+--..--- ; 3 | 1889 395.885, 792-09 (1G es S-Geel Seep Clee eee 37, 248. 16 * Approximate. +Per dozen. Table showing bounties paid on Spermophiles by Counties of South Dakota. Total amount Total paid on County. Rate. | Date. |spermophiles bonnty Remarks. and other ate y animals. y: Cents. Hamunds ..........- : 1888 $1,800.00 | $1,800.00 | 3 per cent pocket gophers. 4 a 2 1887 412. 00 412.00 | 5 per cent pocket gophers. RO sana n cane il 1886 35. 86 35, 86 Total 2, 247.86 | Includes $74.63 for pocket gophers. 20 “SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. Towa.—Sections 1487 and 1488 of the Code of Iowa (1873) provided for the payment of bounties on wolves and other large animals but not on gophers or spermophiles. Elsewhere the power was conferred on the board of supervisors at any regular meeting ‘“‘To determine what boun- ties, in addition to those already provided by law, if any, shall be of- fered and paid by their county on the scalps of such wild animals taken and killed within their county as they may deem it expedient to ex- terminate. But no such bounty shall exceed five dollars.” (Code of Iowa, 1873, Title N, Chap. 2, Sec. 303.) Under this law eight counties expended $14,031.96 for the destruction of Gray and Striped Spermophiles previous to the year 1890, as shown in the following table: Table showing bounties paid on Spermophiles by Counties of Iowa. Total amount Total paid on County. Rate. Date. spermophiles ere Remarks. and other J animals. Counhy > - i eae oe eo yams mars fis S| Beene. 3.2.5 --52-5 5 cents, striped .. 1888 $2,000.00 | $2, 000. 00 | Cerro Gordo ......-. 3 CONS... 5.22625 - 1864-1865 954. 45 954.45 | June9, 1864, toOct. 18, 1865. : 2 cents, striped -. ee fe - Frankia 5=.....<-; 1888 1.193. 00 4,456.00 | 75 per cent for striped 3 cents, gray....- 1889 1 546.00 and gray in 1889. Hanceck.—-3.5.65-0)--- 54-5 =o 1888 1, 150. 00 1, 150. 00 3 cents, striped -. 1888 2,198. 01 Z Humboldt ......... ; on ee ees 3400 00] 4598-01 | June 1 to July 1, 1888. 1 i eee ee 10 cents, gray....| 1878-1882 *700. 00 700.00 | Bounty in force 1878- 1882. ae 5 cents, striped - O Brien oe ee $3 cents, gray. - a Y 1874? | ee ee ea Se et Seder eae 24 cents, sek r Plymouth ......... Fe ents, grays] 1875-1876 +560. 00 560. 00 Total. <0. | cate Sueedeeon scene eee eee eee eee ete meee eee 14,418.46 | Includes $386.50 for other species. * Amount paid in one month. +t Approximate. Kansas.—No attempt was made to ascertain the amount expended in Kansas, but it is probable that bounties were offered in several coun- ties. Mr. J. S. Betzer, of Copeland, Kans., reported that the county of Thomas paid a bounty of 3 cents per scalp during the spring of 1890. The total amount expended was more than $5,000, which, however, included a small sum paid for bounties on wolves. Minnesota.—In the spring of 1887 the State of Bee passed the following bounty laws: AN ACT TO PROVIDE BOUNTIES FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF GOPHERS AND BLACKBIRDS. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota— SECTION 1. That gophers and blackbirds are declared public nuisances and any person who shall kill or destroy said gophers in this State shall be entitled to receive five (5) cents each for every pocket gopher so killed by him, and three (3) cents each for all other kinds of gophers so killed. Src. 2. That it shall be the duty of the chairman of the board of supervisors of each town, on the production to him of the dead bodies of all such gophers * * * BOUNTIES. 21 killed as aforesaid in the town of which said chairman is supervisor, and of which he shall have satisfactory evidence were killed by the person so producing such bod- ies, to issue his certificate under his official signature to the county auditor of the county * * * giving the number of said gophers so killed and thereupon the county auditor shall draw and issue a warrant on the county treasurer for the amount such person is entitled to receive under the provisions of the preceding section of man aeb. ** Src: 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. (General Laws of Minnesota for 1887, Chap. 144.) This act was approved March 8, 1887, and under it bounties were paid by sixteen counties to the amount of $46,197.53. In many of the counties the money was paid largely or exclusively for the destruc- tion of pocket gophers and blackbirds. Those which paid bounties in part for the destruction of spermophiles are shown in the following table. In this State the bounties for spermophiles were paid mainly on the Striped Gopher (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus). Table showing bounties paid on Spermophiles by State of Minnesota. Total amount Total paid on bount County Rate. | Date. | spermophiles pet Remarks. paid by and other paras animals. y Conte.) ga7 $1, 630. 27 Becker =. 2.1... 255 Bar ; ‘oe9 qo¢| $4,612.39 | Probably not more than $100 paid for Binge harths cc .- the rat died in four minutes. / 150 cubic centimeters, With 100 cubic centimeters the rat survived. These experiments were entirely satisfactory so far as properly car- ried out, but were too few to afford a basis for definite conclusions. The results are shown in the accompanying table: BISULPHIDE OF CARBON, 29 Tabular statement showing results of experiments in poisoning small mammals with bisulphide of carbon. Distance a : a at : trom lameter mount o No. Species. mouth of | of burrow. | bisulphide. Time. burrow. Inches Inches Cubic em Min 1 | Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianis)......-.-------- 154 4 49 > MPC eee cas oo ots we enn ke ubge cence 99 53 49 5 antes se oS a i ee rer eer err 11 a Ae ee 49 5 Cl ee TN Se Sob GARE CC ORCL E: Seen eee Elle it Lilac cc aticte oleters 49 6 ae eee ence te en tas Soci wom ee eelame'e ome SS eel RES ESI 29 (*) 6 | Striped Gopher (Spermophilus 13-lineatus).-...----- diem cies See we ol asee eee ook 6 7 | Common Skunk (Mephitis mephitica) -...-...---.--- 1 | eee 83 (T) Pamiane spooea Shunki(Spiloge@le) 29. 5-< = -'- slisecc colts ce nrssnsbcc sab eSaoeeeee 18 6 9 | Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius)...---.---.------ GU eee epee ears lioeiee er cere E Al ese tee Deeps ate ee eee = ee Spee ee ee eee OGD BAe tae or 36 6 1, eee LO G25 oa 3S a eg a ee AS ie ohh tecet okies cee 29 g (| Ole. Ld: SSMS ie ee ee eee ee 120 2 44 §10 1S ae 1D 36642 BeSR ASH Sta eno ene Ceo nee Gai passers sere e 29 < * Vapor passed by and did not completely fill burrow. At end of time the animal was anesthetized, but revived. t Anesthetized in five minutes; revived three hours later. + Not quite dead. § Not affected. Prof. E. W. Hilgard, of the University of California, deserves the credit of originating the bisulphide method of destroying burrowing mammals. Ina bulletin ‘On the destruction of Ground Squirrels by the use of Bisulphide of Carbon,’ published in 1878, he gives the results of experiments made on the California Ground Squirrel (Spermo- philus beecheyt) as follows: ‘‘ It is hardly necessary to enlarge upon the importance to California agriculture of devising some ready, safe, and effectual means of put- ting an end to the constantly increasing inroads of the ground squirrel upon the grain fields and pastures of the State. Unlike most other wild animals, whose range diminishes as culture advances, the ground squirrel finds an improvement of the conditions of its existence as the area of cultivation increases. Each year we hear of its taking pos- session of ‘fresh fields and pastures new,’ while rarely loosening its grip upon any district once invaded; and the tax it levies upon the grain-growers of some counties exceeds all the other taxes combined. The damage done during the past season in Contia Costa County alone was estimated by the board of supervisors of that county at not less than $150,000, while in many individual cases from 30 to 50 per cent of the crop was harvested by the squirrels before the reaper could take the field.” After describing the properties of bisulphide of carbon and some of its uses he goes on to say: ‘¢ It is curious that in no case have I known a squirrel to run out of the holes before the gas; when it meets it face to face in a run, death seems to be almost instantaneous. But in most cases the animals seem to retire to their nests to die there in a stupor. The mode of proceed- ing is simply this: Select one or two of the freshest holes in a (See introduce into it, as deep down as you can reach, a wide-mouthed ounce vial full of the liquid, upset the vial, and withdraw it. * * * The holes may all be closed at once, with earth; which need not be rammed; 30 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. ~ q the only object being to keep the gas in, and toseeifanyoftheinmates J} ‘dig out afterwards. * * * The dead animal is thus buried and out | of sight in his own burrow, creates no stench and poisons nothing; its ‘flesh would not be injurious even if dug up. No other wild or domestic ‘animal runs any risk, unless it be the gopher. The holes retain an offensive odor for some time, and remain closed and untenanted. * * * 4 As for the expense of this method, I have freed the most thickly-peo- pled portions of the University campus (level ground) from every ves- — : tige of squirrels with about a pound of the liquid per acre; about half _ an hour being spent by two men in closing the holes with shovels.” * = | During the past five or six years this remedy has beenrecommended | : by the Division, and has been used with success by numerous corre- | spondents. Mr. Joseph Conaster, of Sunset, Wash., who was much troubled by the depredations of Townsend’s Spermophile, after using ‘the poison, wrote under date of July 20, 1892: ‘¢T think your bisulphide will exterminate the squirrels. Haveanni- hilated two towns of them that I have been shooting and poisoning for three years. Did it all in two hours and am satisfied that the bisul- phide will be the grand remedy of all.” = | KEY TO THE SPECIES. | The area covered by this bulletin includes the ranges of five sper- mophiles. One of. these, Kennicott’s Spermophile, is a sub-species of the peculiar Sonoran Spermophile (S. spilosoma). A sixth form, the— Wyoming Spermophile, closely related to Spermophilus richardsoni, will be mentioned and its distribution included under the latter species, as data is wanting to limit the ranges of the two animals. These five species differ widely from one another in coloration, and may be readily distinguished by the colors and markings of the back. For convenience in identification they are here divided into three — groups as shown below. KEY TO THE FIVE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY SPERMOPHILES. 1. Back striped lengthwise. (a) With solid stripes alternating with rows of spots, Spermophilus tridecemli- neatus. (b) With rows of spots without any solid stripes...-.-. Spermophilus mexicanus. 2. Back irregularly and indistinctly spotted. Size small, tail short and slender............Spermophilus spilosoma obsoletus.t 3. Back not distinctly striped or spotted; size large. (a) Tail long and: bushy} grays. 35... sic. cssceecemeaee Spermophilus franklini. (b) Tail short, buff below, blackish above.......----- Spermophilus richardsoni. a a * Bulletin of the University of California, No. 32, April, 1878. +t This spermophile inhabits western Nebraska, and is gray in color, with blackish edgings to the spots. It belongs to the Spermophilus spilosoma group, most of the members of which are yellowish brown in color. They are not mentioned in the present report because the main part of their range is to the south and west of the area here treated. Representatives of the group however occur in southern and western Texas and eastern Colorado, STRIPED SPERMOPHILE. | Dl STRIPED PRAIRIE SPERMOPHILE. Spermophilus tridecemlineatus (Mitchill). [Plate I—Map 1.] Description.—This is the slenderest of the spermophiles, with ears about an eighth ofan inch long; the tail is about half as long as the head and body, flattened and slightly bushy. The belly and lower sides, including legs, feet, throat, nose, and lower half of cheeks, are dull buff or ashy buff; the back is striped with six narrow buff colored lines and seven wider lines of dark brown, each brown line inclosing a row of small spots. Along the middle of the back the stripes extend from the top of the head to the tail, becoming shorter on the sides.* Specimens inhabiting the arid plains are considerably paler than those from the prairies of the Mississippi Valley proper, and have been separated as a subspecies under the name Spermophilus tride- cemlineatus pallidus. The following measurements were taken from a specimen selected from fifteen adults as representing the average size: Total length from end of nose to tip of tail vertebra, 252 millimeters (10 inches); length of tail (turned at right angles to back and measured with dividers from angle at base to tip of vertebre) 88 millimeters. (34 inches); length of hind foot from point of heel to tip of longest claw, 33 millime- ters (1} inches). ° Range.—This well-known little animal is widely distributed through- out the central part of North America, ranging continuously from east- ern Michigan to Montana and Colorado, and from central Texas north to the plains of the Saskatchewan in Canada, where it reaches latitude 53° N. Its range embraces all of the five States of North and South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, and practically all of the Territory of Oklahoma. North of the United States recent observations have failed to carry it beyond Carlton House, Saskatchewan, where it was found more than sixty years ago. Its eastern limit may be indicated by a line following the Red River valley southward to Pembina, N. Dak., and then running. diagonally across Minnesota through Crookston, Park Rapids, and Fort Ripley, to the Wisconsin border near Pine City. Wisconsin records are mainly confined to the southeastern part of the State, although it has been found at Sparta and reported as far north as Ripon. In Michigan the northernmost records are Big Rapids, Byers, Palo, and Matherton. Spermophilus tridecemlinea- tus barely enters Ohio and is restricted to the northwestern part of Indiana, not passing east of the Wabash River according to Mr. F. C. Test. The most southern point in Illinois from which it has been reported is Belle Prairie. Harrisville and Golden, Mo., and Ardmore, Ind. Ter., are near its southeastern limits, while Point, * An animal frequently confused with this species is the chipmunk (Tamias stria- tus), which has the middle of the back striped with black, buff, and brown, but no spots, and is further distinguished by a more bushy tail and longer ears. It is a for- est animal and climbs trees, while the Striped Spermophile belongs to the prairies and does not climb trees. 32 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. distribution so far as known. The western limits of its range are roughly indicated by Fort Garland, Twin Lakes, South Park, and Denver, Colo.; Green River and Douglas, Wyo.; and Fort Custer, Park City, and Chief Mountain Lake, Mont. Specimens have been taken by Mr. BE. W. Nelson, at Springerville, Ariz., and the species has béen recorded from several places in western New Mexico and Colorado, but the relation of these points to the main area of distribution is not at present clear. In short, it occupies all of the prairie region east of the Rocky Mountains and is a true prairie-dweller, never entering a timbered region any more than the tree squirrels wander from their forest homes. But as the timber is cleared off and the country brought under culti- vation, it frequently follows the fields and spreads to considerable dis- tances from its original haunts. In Michigan forty years ago it was restricted to the few small prairies of the southern part of the State; to-day the southern half of the. State is nearly as open as the original prairie country and the spermophiles have spread over it as far north as . Big Rapids in Mecosta County. In Minnesota Lhave observed a similar extension of range, though on a smaller scale. When the timber was removed the spermophiles came in from adjoining prairies and were found about fields previously unoccupied by them. The westward range of the species is limited by the Rocky Mountains, over which they do not pass, although they have penetrated well into the valleys on the east slope and even into some of the mountain parks. Habits.—Throughout the prairies of the Mississippi Valley the little Striped Spermophile is a familiar object as it darts through the grass to its hole, or is seen standing upright on its hind feet, straight and motionless aS a stick. With its short ears, smoothly rounded head, and the forefeet drooping at its sides, there is no point about its out- line to catch the eye, and at a little distance it is impossible to distin- guish it from an old picket pin or tent stake. While hunting sper- mophiles I have frequently passed what I mistook for a stake only to hear from it a shrill chatter, and as frequently have cautiously approached within 3 or 4 rods of a supposed spermophile before dis- | covering that it was only a pegof wood. Standing thus, the animal will often allow one to approach within a few yards, then quickly drop- ping on all fours it utters a shrill chatter and dives into a hole close by. Remain quiet for a few minutes, and its head reappears at the entrance of the hole and the little black eyes peer at you curiously. Walk away from the place and it will soon come out and, standing up again, watch you as long as within sight, uttering an occasional note of alarm or warning to its friends. Its note is a rapid trill or trembling whistle, a long drawn-out chur-r-r-r-r in a high key. Richardson ascribes to this species a quarrelsome disposition, and says: “The manners of the Leopard-marmot are similar to those of A. richardson, but it is a more active animal and of a bolder and more STRIPED SPERMOPHILE. 33 irritable disposition. When it has been driven to take shelter in its burrow it may be heard expressing its anger in a shrill and harsh rep- etition of the syllable seek-seek. * * * The males fight when they meet, and in their contests their tails are often mutilated. I observed ‘several individuals which had been recently injured in this way, and it is rare to meet a male which has a tail equaling those of the females in length.” (Fauna Boreali-Americana, 1829, p. 177.) It is not surprising that an animal so characteristic of prairies should not take kindly to trees. I never saw one try to climb a tree, and did not suppose that such an attempt would prove successful, but Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, in writing of their habits, says: ‘ Although the species is supposed to be strictly terrestrial, Mr. R. M. Christie and myself twice observed a gopher climb up alow spruce tree in pursuit of a bay-winged bunting (Poocetes gramineus), that was perched on the top.”* The Striped Spermophile depends for shelter and protection on bur- rows which it digs in the ground. These burrows are about 2 inches in diameter, descend steeply for a short distance, and then extend off horizontally. Sometimes a hole longer than usual rises nearly to the _ surface and then dips down siphon-like, leaving a -wall between the entrance and the nest. Many of them are short, and seem to be used only to dodge into atthe approach of danger, and a bucket of water poured into one will often force out the occupant half drowned and gasping for breath. The tunnels leading to the nests in which the animals spend the winter and raise their young commonly extend 15 or 20 feet, but are not more than a foot, or at most 2 feet, below the surface. Though many of the burrows open on smooth bare ground with nothing to conceal them, the entrances are more commonly hidden by a bunch of grass, and sometimes a dried weed, a piece of paper, or an old rag is drawn over the entrance. During the breeding season these spermophiles are quiet and shy, but in June and July when the half-grown young begin to make their appearance above ground their voices are most frequently heard. The parent and her young at this time are constantly calling back and forth, and never wander far from one another. The.number of young in a litter seems to vary from seven to ten. In some cases higher numbers still have been reported. Mr. W. W. Gilman, of Stoughton, Dane County, Wis., writes that while in Freeborn County, Minn., he exam- ined a number of pregnant females of this species, and found the embryos to number from nine to fourteen. None of those which I have examined contained more than eight embryos, and the number of mammary nipples of the female varied from eight to twelve. Richardson mentions a female killed, May 17, at Carlton House, on the Saskatchewan River, that contained ten young.t Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, who has carefully observed the habits of eee $$ *Trans. Hist. and Sci. Soc. of Manitoba, No. 23 (1886), 1887, p. 14. + Fauna Boreali-Americana, 1829, p. 178. 4032—No. 4——3 a 34 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. this species in Manitoba, both in captivity and ina wild state, says that the young are born late in May and usually number eight or nine. Robert | Kennicott says: ‘“* The young are produced at the end of May or early in June. I have observed from five to nine brought forth at a birth, and I am informed of two instances in which ten were found in anest; -_ but the number is variable, the usual number being six or seven. The young at birth are naked, blind, and remarkably embryonic. Dr. Hoy, who has observed them in confinement, says that they have no hair on the body before they are twenty days old and the eyes do not open till the thirtieth day. They continue to require nourishment and care of the mother for a much longer period than most rodents. During sum- mer they begin to dig shallow burrows and leave her before winter to shift for themselves. Hibernating mammals require to be in good con- dition when they retire to winter quarters, which females could searcely be did they rear young late in the season. This spermophile and prob- ably the rest of the genus produce but one litter a year.” (Rept.Comm. Patents for 1856, pp. 76-77.) Appearance in spring.—Towards fall the spermophiles become very fat, and after afew frosty nights, long before snow comes or the ground freezes, they vanish into their holes and do not appear again until the ground thaws in spring. In southern Minnesota they are rarely seen above ground later than the 1st of October or in spring before the 1st of April. Dr. Thomas 8S. Roberts, of Minneapolis, reports their first appearance in the spring of 1877 on April 5; in 1878, March 17; and in 1879, April 5. Robert Kennicott says: “To Mr. William Webb, of Fountaindale, Winnebago County, LL, I am indebted for the following dates of this spermophile’s first appearance in spring, as noted in the meteorologi- cal register of Mr. Edward Bebb: ‘1851, April 10; 1852, April 11; 1853, April 2; 1854, March 29; 1855, April 12.” (Rept. Comm. Pat- ents for 1856, p. 77.) Mr. Plummer L. Ong, of Hennepin, Putnam County, Ll., reports the first one seen at that place in the spring of 1884, on March 24. Mr. O. A. Kenyon, of McGregor, Clayton County, Iowa, reports them as active on April 13, 1887, and Mr. Evelen Brown gives the dates of their first appearance at Bathgate, Pembina County, N. Dak., as March 29, 1889, and April 16, 1890. At Beloit, Kit Carson Couuty, Colo., Mr. H. G. Hoskin reports their first appearance in the spring of 1890 on March 10. In Manitoba Mr. Ernest E. Thompson reports their first appearance at Carberry in spring about April 20, and says that they are not seen after the 1st of October.* Whether they remain dormant all of the six or seven months which are spent underground is difficult to determine, but it seems probable that they do not. Large stores of grain and nuts are carried into the holes in autumn and stored close to their nests. Whether these are * Rept. Dept. Agl. and Statistics, Prov. of Manitoba, 1882, pp, 169-172. STRIPED SPERMOPHILE. 35 eaten during the winter or saved for use in the spring when grain and seeds are scarce remains to be ascertained. Hibernation.—The observations of the late Dr. P. R. Hoy on the hiber- nation of this spermophile add much to our knowledge not only of its habits but to the subject of hibernation. He states: “The following are the results of many observations and experiments on the Striped Gopher (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) dur- ing active life as well as when under the profound stupor of hiberna- tion. During activity the gopher’s pulse is 200; respiration, 50; tem- perature, 105. ‘On the second of October, having procured a Red Squirrel (Sciurus — hudsonicus) and a gopher, animals of nearly equal size, the one active during the coldest weather, while the other is a characteristic hiberna- tor, I cut out a part of the gluteal muscles of each, and after dividing and bruising, so as thoroughly to break up every part, I took 50 grains of each and placed in a test tube, into which I put 2 ounces of cold water. After freely agitating, the mixture was left to digest for eight hours, at the expiration of which time I carefully decanted and renewed the water, agitated and left twelve hours, then filtered and rolled the residuum on blotting paper, in order to remove all excess of moisture. When weighed they stood: gopher, 50-15; squirrel, 50-10. These ex- periments were repeated with substantially the same results. Gluteal muscles of the squirrel contained 20 per cent of albumen, solub!e in cold water, while the same muscles of the Striped Gopher treated in like manner, at the same time, yielded 30 per cent. “As it is well known that the flesh of reptiles is rich in albumen, I procured several marsh frogs and subjected the gluteal muscles to like analysis, which resulted in 40 per cent of loss. The following will con- vey to the eye these results: Per cent of soluble albumen: Frog, 40; gopher, 30; squirrel, 20. “On the 15th of December, the gopher being thoroughly torpid, tem- perature of the room 45, gopher rolled up like a ball, no visible evidence of life, I opened the abdomen and inserted the bulb of a thermometer which indicated 58°. I next turned back the sternum in such a man- ner as to expose the heart and lungs. The remarkably congested con- dition of these organs first attracted my attention; in fact, it would appear as if all the blood had collected within the thorax. The pulsa- tion of the heart was reduced to four each minute, the auricles would slowly and imperfectly contract, followed immediately by the ventricles. These slow pulsations of the heart occupied four seconds. There was no visible respiration, the lungs remaining almost entirely passive. The heart continued to pulsate, without perceptible change, for fifteen minutes, and then when raised from its position it continued to pulsate for some time, being almost reptilian in this respect. During hiberna- tion the circulation is so feeble that when a limb is amputated but a few drops of blood will slowly ooze from the fresh wound. The stomachs 36 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. and bowels empty, and the body was inclosed in a thick adipose layer. I was not able to excite the least motion or contraction of the muscles in any way, even by pinching or cutting nerves, showing the most per- fect condition of anesthesia possible. ‘During hibernation the gopher is not able to endure more than 6° or 8° of frost. The manifestations of life are so feebly performed that a few degrees below freezing is sufficient to convert apparent death into the reality. On the 10th of April, at which time the first gopher appeared above ground, I repeated the experiment of the previous autumn. Body emaciated, hair dry and lifeless, flesh perceptibly less — moist than it was in the fall. On subjecting the gluteal muscles to like treatment as in October, I was surprised to find only 18 per cent of loss instead of the 30, as exhibited in the previous autumn. “The large amount of soluble albumen found in the flesh of the Striped Gopher in the fall, and the lesser amount found after its pro- tracted hibernation, go far to prove that albumen somehow fits the animal for its long sleep. Is it not probable that albumen is a stored- up magazine of elaborated nutrition to be used when no food can be assimilated by the digestive organ?”* INJURY TO CROPS. Many replies have been received to letters sent out by the Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy inquiring as to the injury done by Striped Spermophiles and other species in the Mississippi Valley. Reports from correspondentsin all the States where these animals occur agree that they cause serious damage to the crops. The following extracts from letters will give some idea of the extent and nature of their ravages. Minnesota.—Mr. George Little, county treasurer of Lyon County, reports: ‘‘Striped Gophers increase or decrease very rapidly according to favorable or unfavorable conditions: A succession of dry years is especially favorable to their increase, while a succession of wet seasons reduces their numbers very rapidly, probably by flooding their nests. They have been very numerous this season [1888] and very destructive to corn immediately after planting; whole fields, in some instances, have been entirely destroyed, and it is a rare thing to see or hear of a field that has not been damaged.” Peter Skoglund, of Lake Andrew, Kan- diyohi County, writes under date of November, 1889: “The common Striped and Gray Gophers do more injury to our grainfields than any other mammals. They begin before the grain ripens, cutting down, con- suming, and storing away for winter use. I have lost about 20 bushels from this cause.” | Iowa.—In Butler County Mr. W. Head, of Bristow, writes under date of January 5, 1887: “The common Striped Ground Squirrel or Gopher *Proc. Am. Ass. Adv. Sci. Aug. 1875, pp. 148-149. STRIPED SPERMOPHILE. 37 is a great pest on the farm. When corn is just peeping through the ground they will follow a row and pull up the hills and eat off the kernel. Last year I found the hills pulled up for rods in one place. _ They are also destructive to wheat. My father had a wheatfield by the side of a new piece of ground which was full of gopher burrows. I was set to trapping them and found in their holes heads of wheat which had been entirely shelled out. The breaking was strewn with straws and wheat heads which had been shelled out and the grain carried into their holes.” Mr. John N. Houghton, of Grinnell, Poweshiek County, says (March 23. 1891): “Spermophilus tridecemlineatus is very abundant. During the past summer I have seen twenty-five during a walk of a quarter of amile. As to its destructive traits, it is promi- nent chiefly in destroying young corn. * * * The past summer it destroyed a half acre in a piece of 4 acres belonging to me. I have seen it catch and consume the cabbage butterfly repeatedly, and have also watched it digging for cutworms. ‘These are cases of traits ben- eficial to the farmer, I am positive.” Nebraska.—Mr. Lawrence Bruner, of Lincoln, reports three species present, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus, S. spilosoma obsoletus, and S. franklini, of which the first is by far the most common and very destructive to young corn. In Buffalo County Mr. R. W. Thatcher, of Gibbon, says: “The Striped Gopher, ‘Line-tailed Spermophile”* and badger are all destructive to grain. The first two are very much more common this year than ever before. They work much alike and mostly upon corn, digging down to the seed and then eating it. They have been known to follow the planter and dig up every hill for several rods. They do not stop when the corn sprouts, but continue to dig until the seed has all been absorbed. Formerly they lived in holes on the prairie, and worked only on the edge of a field, but this year [1888] they have dug their holes in the fields, eating the corn all around them. They occasion great damage to the corn crop and are killed mercilessly by all the farmers. We have a field of corn which was planted May 23. Owing to the cold, backward spring it was late in coming up, and we could not begin working it until June 9. During the first day’s work I counted the number of hills dug up in several rows. I found the average to be about forty-five hills to the row of 120 rods. The next time I was at work I saw a gopher catch and kill a field mouse, which is something I have never seen them do before. I do not know what caused the gopher to do so, for as soon as I approached it, it dropped the mouse and ran into its hole. The mouse was badly bitten.” [Letter dated June 19, 1888.] From Turlington, Otoe County, Mr. William N. Hunter writes: “The Striped Gopher (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) is the worst enemy of * The true Line-tailed Spermophile (Spermophilus grammurus) is a Rocky Mountain species and does not occur in Nebraska. The species here referred to is undoubtedly Franklin’s Spermophile (S. franklini). Gibbon is near the western limit of its range. 38 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. the farmer in this county during the time of corn planting, digging up large amounts of corn just after it is planted. I know of one instance this spring where a farmer had to plant over 10 acres, so completely had the gophers destroyed the field. In spite of the constant warfare on these gophers by farmers they continue to increase. I found one female that would have produced twelve young, and seven to ten is a common average.” [Letter dated May 29, 1891.] Kansas.—In Kansas Mr. George Briggs, of Reeder, reports that in Kiowa County, Striped Gophers live on the prairie around the edge of the fields and dig up seed corn in the spring. Patches of from 1 to 5 rods in extent were destroyed around the outside of all the cornfields in the neighborhood of Reeder in 1888, and the damage was so great that in some cases the farmers had to replant. Prof. L. L. Dyche, of Lawrence, Douglas County, writes: “The Ground Squirrel (Spermo- philus tridecemlineatus) digs up corn, squash, melon, and other seeds soon after they are planted. Farmers say that these Ground Squirrels can smell the seeds, for they always dig straight down tothem. Some . watermelon farmers report that the squirrels frequently stop the growth of a vine by nibbling or cutting off the tender runners near the end. Cases were reported where they cut holes in the nearly ripe musk- melons and watermelons and ate the seed out.” Colorado.—Mr. Horace G. Smith, jr., of Denver, writes under date of September 16, 1888: ‘‘I have resided some fifteen years in Denver. The Striped Gopher (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus or an allied species) is common everywhere on the plains and is occasionally seen in timber along the streams. It does more or less damage by digging up seeds, particularly corn’ and melons. They skip about over the field, dig- ging up a hill here and there. I have known instances where it was necessary to replant melons in order to get a stand, though three or four times the required seed was planted the first time. These sper- mophiles are easily killed by placing poisoned grain at the entrances to their burrows. Their natural food seems to be grasshoppers, grass, and leaves of other plants, seeds, etc. The cactus furnishes a large amount of food for them; the cap of the ovary is cut away, exposing a thimbleful of seeds on which they feed. I have seen them occasionally in the top of Psoralea lanceolata, a bushy plant of the pea family, on the seeds of which they feed. ‘‘] have found the feathers of the shore lark (Otocoris alpestris arent-° cola) about the entrance to their burrows on one or two occasions, but whether killed by the squirrel or not I do not know, though I have known it to turn cannibal when several were kept together in confine- ment. The shore lark evidently regards them as enemies, for I have often seen them try to drive the spermophiles from the locality of their © nests, and have found the eggs of this species, as well as those of the lark bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys), destroyed, as I supposed, by this spermophile.” STRIPED SPERMOPHILE. 39 FOOD. The name Spermophilus, meaning seed-lover, is particularly appro- priate for this species. Scarcely a seed or grain grows where they live that they do not eat. The following list includes only such as 1 have seen them in the act of eating or have found in their cheek pouches or stomachs: Wheat, oats, barley, rye, corn, acorns, hazelnuts, seeds of mountain rice (Oryzopsis micrantha), feather grass (Stipa spar- tea), pigeon grass (Setaria), millet (Setaria italica), wild sunflowers (Helianthus), pigweed (Chenopodium), bindweed and knotweed (Poly- - gonum), puccoon (Lithospermum), three species of prickly pear (Opuntia missouriensis, O. fragilis, and O. rafinesqui), ragweed (Ambrosia), buf- falo peas (Astragalus caryocarpus), Hosackia purshiana, and common locust (Robinia pseudacacia). But their food is by no means restricted to seeds, for they are fond of various fruits, roots, insects, lizards, mice, and any kind of fresh meat. They eat the fruit of the prickly pear (Opuntia rafinesqui), strawberries, green foliage of numerous plants, roots of sorrel (Oxalis violacea), and wild larkspur (Delphinium azureum),. Animal food forms a part of their diet and they feed especially upon such insects as grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, and ants. They seem to like any kind of fresh meat and have troubled me a great deal by eating small mammals caught for specimens. In traps set with much care for various kinds of mice (Sitomys, Perognathus,or Arvicola), I have frequently found only the strips of skin with feet and tail at- tached to show where a rare specimen had disappeared; and on open- ing the stomach of the spermophile caught near the place have found in its stomach the flesh of the lost specimens. Moreover, they are true cannibals, devouring the dead bodies of their own species. They tear the skin in strips and eat out the flesh. Mice are usually eaten bones and all, and frequently nothing but bits of torn skin and the feet and tail are left. I once shot a spermophile as it was sitting up eating something that it held in its paws. On picking it up apartly devoured lizard (Humeces fasciatus) was found, and several joints of the lizard’s tail were in the spermophile’s cheek pouches. Prof. F. E. L. Beal in- forms me that at Ames, Story County, Iowa, he once saw a Striped Spermophile with a large hairy caterpillar in its mouth, and on another occasion Saw one carrying a field mouse. _ Prof. Herbert Osborn, of Ames, Iowa, contributes the following interesting account of their food habits: ‘‘ Early in June I noticed the Striped Ground Squirrels on the college lawn digging into the turf and eating something which they withdrew. Examining the places thus dug up I always found the peculiar cocoon of a Crambus, and the place would also show the deserted web and burrow of the larva. These squirrels’ burrows were very numerous in some parts of the lawn; and in one place I counted twenty-five in the space of a square yard, 40 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. indicating that the ground squirrel had disposed of that many larve or pup of Crambus within the given area. At another time I counted fifty to the square yard. Evidently when sodworms are plenty the ground squirrel is not an unmixed evil.” (Ann. Rept. U.S. Dept. Agriculture, 1887, p. 155.) Prof. C. P. Gillette, in Bulletin No. 6 of the Iowa Experiment Sta- tion, published in 1889, gives the results of the examination of twenty- two stomachs of this spermophile, made at Ames, Iowa. The animals from which the stomachs were taken were killed on various parts of the college farm, and at intervals from April 19 to August 2. As a result of this examination it was found that insects formed 46 per cent of the stomach contents, with an average number of thirteen cutworms and webworms in each. ‘The webworms in these stomachs were, in the great majority of cases, the larve of Crambus exsiccatus which is very injurious to corn and grass in Jowa, its work in corn being very often mistaken for that of cutworms.” In conclusion it is stated that ‘the insects which the squirrels feed on are almost exclusively in- jurious species, chief among which seem to be cutworms, webworms, and grasshoppers. As grass, clover, and other green stuff has been abundant wherever the squirrels were taken, and as their stomachs were often gorged with insects that must have given them much trouble to catch, it would seem that they prefer the latter food” (page 242), In Bulletin No. 30 of the Agricultural College and Experiment Sta- tion of Brookings, 8. Dak., are given the results of an examination, by J. M. Aldrich, of the contents of fifteen stomachs of the Striped Sper- mophile. As relative amounts of the different materials found in the stomachs are not given, it is impossible to compare the results with those of other examinations. The stomachs were taken from animals killed from June 19 to 23: “June 19 and 22, corn was well up, but the planted kernels were still in condition to invite the gophers. There were few ripe seeds of any kind, so that the stomach contents were generally classified into insects, corn, and ‘ green stuff,’ the last being apparently grass and other plants, a mixture difficult to analyze and not of great importance from our stafNdpoint. The corn was readily distinguish- able, while the insects were usually represented by legs, antenne, elytra, and other hard parts, more or less fragmentary. In the ease of cutworms and other larve, the whole or a large piece of the skin was generally found, the soft parts having been crushed out. It was not possible, as a general thing, to make out the species of the insect, but the genus or family is sufficient to indicate pretty well whether the species is injurious or not. ‘‘Nos. 1 to 7 were killed on the afternoon of June 19 between 1:15 and 4:30. ‘““ No. 1.—In the road near the corner of pasture. Only grass and small grain in the immediate vicinity. Stomach quite full, mostly ? 4 : ” - >: STRIPED SPERMOPHILE. 41 grain, a little green stuff, and remains of at least one beetle (probably earabid). Another gopher near this one was observed to pick grain - out of horse manure in the road. “ No. 2.—Near No.1. Stomach not very full; grain and grass; one beetle (Chrysomela). “No. 3.—Near a little stream. Tall grass and weeds all around. A young gopher, two-thirds grown; stomach half full of green stuff; re- mains of one beetle (Harpalus ?). “ No. 4.—By an old straw stack; weeds, potatoes, and pasture near by. Stomach very full, mostly grain and seeds; about one-third beetles (carabid, and perhaps chrysomelid). : “¢ No. 5.—Also killed by the straw stack ; stomach full; more grass than No. 4; one beetle (carabid). ‘¢ No. 6.—Same place; stomach full, mostly green stuff; several beetles, three pieces of skin of lepidopterous larve, of which two seemed to be cutworms. ‘No. 7._Same place; stomach full; grain, grass, one cricket, two beetles (chrysomelid and carabid). “ The next four gophers were killed June 22, between 9.15 a. m. and 1p. m. “¢ No. 8.— At edge of grass plat, 10 rods from cornfield. Cheeks full of corn. Stomach full, two-thirds corn, rest insects; one beetle, one cricket (?), about six cutworms. “ No. 9.—At edge of creek. Stomach nearly empty; one lepidopter- ous larva, not a cutworm; one or two beetles (Chrysomela); the rest vegetable. ‘¢ No. 10.—Same place (40. rods from cornfield). Stomach moderately full of corn; one beetle (carabid?). “No. 11.—Same place. Stomach full; mostly insects, numerous beetles (carabid and chrysomelid), one grasshopper, one larva, not cutworm. “The remaining four were killed June 23, about noon. “ No. 12.—At edge of timothy field, near millet, 30 rods from corn. Stomach moderately full, half corn, a little grass, about four cut- worms, two or three chrysomelid and as many carabid beetles, one grasshopper. ‘No. 13.—On campus, grass all around. Stomach moderately full; one-third grass, the rest insects. About eight lepidopterous larve, of which one or more were cutworms. “< No. 14.—In raspberry patch. Stomach full, mostly corn and grain; one grasshopper; three cutworms; one carabid beetle. “ No. 15.—In road nota great distance from cornfield. Stomach full; half full, corn; one beetle; three or four lepidopterous larve, of which two were cutworms. “Summing up the insects, we have nineteen or twenty cutworms, eleven other lepidopterous larve, three grasshoppers, and two crickets. 42 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. all of which may be set down as injurious. The number of beetles of all kinds could not be definitely ascertained, but was thirty to thirty- five. None of them were species which are noted either for benefiting or injuring the farmer. Those marked carabid and Harpalus belong to a family that are generally beneficial, while those marked chryso- melid and Chrysomela belong to the leaf-eaters, of which group many species are injurious. As the beetles found in the gophers’ stomachs were of both classes, there is no great preponderance on either side” (pp. 9-11). Undoubtedly the good which the Striped Spermophiles do by destroy- ing insects, and seeds of noxious weeds is of no small importance, but it is doubtful if it is sufficient to offset the damage perpetrated by them in grain fields. In many localities it is impossible to raise a full field of corn without first killing the spermophiles. As soon as the corn is planted they begin to dig up the seed, but do most mischief after the corn begins to come up and until a week or ten days old, or until all the nutrimentis drawn from the grain. They dig down by the side of. the stalk and eat the swollen, starchy grain, of which they seem very fond, leaving the stalks to die. As a single spermophile will dig up many hills of corn in a day and continue digging for nearly two weeks, it is not difficult to see that serious damage is done where they are numerous, averaging as they often do four or five to an acre. ‘Large fields of corn are sometimes entirely destroyed by them and have to be planted over several times. A great deal of wheat, oats, barley, and rye is taken in the same way, making it necessary to sow an extra amount of seed. Even this means is not effectual, and frequently fields of sowed grain suffer materially from their attacks. As the small grains begin to fill soon after blossoming the spermophiles cut down the stalks and eat the ovules, and in order to find the best heads they cut down a great deal more than they eat. As the grain becomes hard they carry large stores of it into their burrows to be eaten at leisure, probably when they awake from their winter’s sleep. The amount of damage done depends upon the abundance of the animals, and is often serious. If a field is small and isolated the spermophiles some- times collect and destroy almost the whole crop. Dr. A. K. Fisher in notes on this species and Franklin’s Spermophile says: ‘¢‘ Where abundant, as they are in many parts of the West, they de- stroy large quantities of corn, wheat, oats, and the seeds of flax. They also feed to some extent on the seeds of wild plants, even when grainis _ plenty. A Striped Gopher shot at Heron Lake [Minn.], near a field of wheat stubble had its pouches full of the seeds of the ragweed (Ambro- sia artemisicfolia). *‘In view of the fat that large numbers of these ani- mals are shot and handled it is surprising that they are not used as an article of food. Their flesh is as sweet and delicate as that of the arboreal squirrels, which are held in high esteem as a game dish in many parts of STRIPED SPERMOPHILE. 43 the East. The farmers agree that they ought to be good to eat, but it was impossible to learn of any one who had tried them.” (Annual Re- port Dept. Agriculture, 1887, pp. 455-456.) In studying the food of the Striped Spermophile eighty stomachs and eleven cheek pouches were collected and their contents carefully ex- amined. Since the stomachs were taken from specimens collected at var- ious dates, ranging from May 19 to August 31, and over an extentof coun. try including Minnesota, the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, and Texas, it may be reasonably inferred that the average summer diet of the species is represented. Following is a list of the food components found in the stomachs: ANIMAL. VEGETABLE. Grasshoppers. Oats. Crickets. Wheat. Caterpillars (larve of Lepidoptera). Pig-weed (Chenopodium). Beetles. Bind-weed seeds (Polygonum). Ants. Wild sunflower seeds (Helianthus). A small cocoon. Nightshade berries (Solanum). Insects’ eggs. Cactus fruit (Opuntia), Spermophile hairs. Roots. Feathers of small birds. Herbage. The number of feathers was not sufficient to prove that birds had been eaten. The spermophiles may have picked up stray feathers to line their nests with and in carrying them home accidentally swallowed afew. Still, from their well-known carnivorous habits, it seems most probable that wounded or dead birds had been found and eaten. Most of the hairs in the stomachs seemed to have come from the animals themselves and were probably swallowed by accident. Summary.—Of the total contents of the eighty stomachs examined, more than half consisted of insects. The percentage of animal matter was 52.9; of vegetable matter 44.4; and of indeterminate matter 2.7. The cheek pouches contained 100 per cent of vegetable matter, being filled exclusively with grain and seeds of various plants. Table showing contents of 80 stomachs of the Striped Prairie Spermophile (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus). Percent- | Percent- Cat. nae age of age of No. | Sex: | Date. Locality. in al lvegetable Contents. matter. | matter. 1887. 13 2 May 19 | Heron Lake, Minn.... 3 97 | Small insects; shell of little - striped beetle; oats, seeds, herb- age. Paaieicgaal way 10 |...5.. (i Ca eet err er 10 90 | Beetles; chewed vegetable fiber; ¥ pulp, and shells of seeds. “ON es SE ae 8 “SE eee Oe 25 75 | Beetles; onesmall striped beetle; vegetable matter, and seeds. 2 | wey 2 joo... UGE E ASSP ene 2 70 30 | A beetle; a coleopterous larva; other insects; vegetable matter. Vilage tay 20 fcc. Owe secon ae ame ae LOGE este as a Insects. i; yh my Zl ls... GE Seb ited awe aes MO weatelaecs = Crickets; larvew, apparently of bumblebees. 44 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. Table showing contents of 80 stomachs of the Striped Prairie Spermophile (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus)—Continued. Cat- age of age of Percent- | Percent- No. | Sex-| Date Locality animal |vegetaile Contents. matter. | matter. 3 1887. 19| o | May 27 | Flandreau, S. Dak.... 30 70 | Beetles and other insects; seed pulp, and hulls. 20 May ‘29 sex.-8 ee ey esses 30 70 | About 18 coleopterous larve; grain; herbage. aot 9D) Mla BT he eee, cewek 25 75 | Some small cocoons; seed shells. Toh Rane June 9} Ortonville, Minn...... 80 20 | Beetles; grasshoppers; caterpil- lars; vegetable matter. oe eee om Juno 9ele-es2 ap 2ecso0 Ste Memeb 50 50 | Coleopterous and other larve; _grain; vegetable matter. G2) .<'- 4 dune 11 |22-2-- Ci (ees Me soos ac 25 e-Ssee Seon Particles of insects; dirt. 81 Q June 24 | Browns Valley, Minn. 75 25 | Grasshoppers; trace of beetles; some remains of grain. 4.5) So dianeei jesse d0iss..ceee eee 5 95 | A few bits of ants and other in- sects; herbage, and grain shells. 100 | ¢ | June 30 !...... ri ene Cpe meg eee 40 60 | Grasshoppers; beetles; larve; in- sect eggs; seeds; herbage. 103°] 9. | #aly 4.222 MG soe eeceeee eee 10 90 | Grasshoppers; beetles; ground-up seeds. 109 | o& | July 2] Travare,S. Dak......-. 20 80 | Pieces of 3 larve of insects; grasshoppers, and grain. : MA) gh aly ce G0 wd den Pte 2 98 | Grasshopper; vegetable fiber, and seed pulp. 115) 2. Pdaly S424. LSE e pase ee 30 70 | Beetles; grasshoppers; grain; herbage. 660 (oo cledly *Sikeesos GO yess este cee 50 50 | Beetles; grasshoppers; shells and pulp of seeds. 125) | cg 4 Sally FT eseoes Moroes sccecun ee 50 50 | Grasshoppers; caterpillars; trace of beetle; bark or roots. 126 Q | July 7/| Browns Valley, Minn. 25 75 | Grasshoppers; beetles; seeds of Polygonum. 127; os | July 8 | Travare,S. Dak....... 30 70 | Grasshoppers; crickets; other insects; grain; roots. 139 | ¢g | July 18 | Grand Forks, N. Dak.|-..--..-... 100 | A — finely chewed wheat or oats. 143.) Oo [duly 484.2225 te eee ine a4 5.5 100 | A few bits of oat hulls and skin of grains. 144). if Italy 28 3222. Ose Ho Gee eee 50 50 | Bits of small insects and seeds. 145 1 gt 4) Salyl isa. ce oe eee 4 96 | 1 grasshopper; oats. ! 149} 9 | July 22 | Pembina, N. Dak ....- MOORE pee eee Insects, mostly grasshoppers. 152) = | Sally 23 |2--38.2 GO cetea Pes 60 40 | Grasshoppers; wheat. 162) Sf AdDaly. 3 |. 22 Fag ee RE a 25 75 | Insects; wheat. : 163°}. P Dalky 26422. -.2 re ee eS 50 50 apples og finely chewed seeds. 104 SF | Duby 26 -. kode es etet a tae 90 10 | Grasshoppers; a little grain. 198) D> i iarbe PSRs oes do, oases seee Bete aos Hair of Spermophilus tridecem- ; lineatus and some indetermin- : ate matter. 185| g& | July 28)...... WG toa tedecene-e 208 |e oe ane Insects; ants; small bdeetles; pupe of ants(?). 186 |. 9 |). duly 2 j2-.--. DO's oe Reh oe ees LOG tac cn one Insects only; mostly grasshop- pers. 194} og | July 30}...... 0 weeceees seteee 80 20 | Mostly grasshoppers; some vege- table matter. SOS a oP Aca, 22 ess2. 0: Eee a eee ee 100 osecten Saee Insects, mostly grasshoppers. 206; 2 | Aug. 8} Devils Lake, N. Dak .. 100s kee. eceee ee: small beetles; grass- oppers. : 207 Jo Aug. 10 |...... G0: 2 eee eee 2 98 | Insects; wheat; some small seeds. ye a Ge ge by re rie ae ee Re FS 75 25 | Mostly grasshoppers; grain; her- age. 212 °) Ag. 12 ).25-<2 Gover esas ee ee 95 5 | Insects; grasshoppers; aunts; herbage. : 26) JS 4 Ang 841... 2... dp..28 ee 50 50 | Grasshoppers; hair; grain; herb- age. 119 | Anug.t6.|-...2; Mi 22. ecco’ i ee ee = Insects, mostly grasshoppers. 2a). 2 _) Ange. b. 7. QOS oo cicc cea ecre 50 50 | Grasshoppers; other insects, grain; herbage; Solanum seeds and berries. 232 2 Aug. 23 | Bottineau, N. Dak.. .. 90 10 | Insects; rasshoppers; ants; small beetles; larve; 1 feather; hairs; vegetable matter. 28 1. 2) Bee hh rcsuke BO iserapendas omnis 100 || ct enecage Grasshoppers. ; : 259] of | Aug. 20 |...-.. OR 4 fore rkn wens = 50 50 | A few insects; hairs; indeter- minate vegetable matter. 265| of | Sept. 6) Fort Buford, N. Dak.. 80 Mostly grasshoppers; seeds of Helianthus and Chenopodium. a ee lew OP vis tart ney: ahs yh eh ocd gk orth Os th lil Tee nT ee en eh eT ere y eraee . 5 . e. z STRIPED SPERMOPHILE. 45 Table showing contents of 80 stomachs of the Striped Prairie Spermoph€e (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus)—Continued. Percent- | Percent- i Sex.| Date. Locality aa ronan Contents. matter. | matter. 1887. 266 | of | Sept. 6 | Fort Buford, N. Dak . 40 50 | Insects; green herbage; 10% in- determinate matter. 284] of | Sept. 14 |--.-... Be aeedsaewas = . Grasshoppers; perhaps other in- : sects; 1 small feather. BOO) eee a'< Bh i ty Se ) OS ene aa ae 95 5 | Insects; crickets; 4 species of beetles; vegetable matter. 444) 9 | July 16 | Custer, S. Dak........ 50 50 Grasshoppers; other insects; seeds; other vegetable matter. 477 | Q | Aug. 20 | Cheyenne, Wyo ....-.- 25 75 | A few grasshoppers; 1 black beetle; Chenopodium seeds; green stuff. con 9p Ame, 21-|... 26. Ed scoot earns 5 25 75 | Grasshoppers; 1 larva or pupa; indeterminate herbage and seeds. ASD fase SR RT He ae MO sane ece see 50 50 | 1 ant; 1 small beetle; grasshop- pers; Ohenopodium remains; other plants and seeds. 1892. Qim.| July 12 | Golden City, Mo...... 20 80 | Wheat and small beetles. Qim.| July 12 |....-.. BOS pad Sdanidscin. 30 70 | A grasshopper; fluwers and herb- age. uns pomaly 127) - 2.52 MOMs Stan fated oc 40 60 | A grasshopper and wheat. Q | July 26 | Belle Plaine, Kans.... HOD Sees 1 large grasshopper and its eggs. Q | Aug. 2 | Garden Plain, Kans . 75 25 | Grasshoppers; beetles; wheat. & | Aug. 16 | Wichita Falls, Kans.. 7 25 | Grasshoppers and seeds. A RE AG eg at ANO an cram Sesl c mn 80 20 being ea ;l cricket; purslane eaves 3867 o | Aug. 23 | Washburn, Tex ..-.... LOD IRE Bcc Do. 3868 |} oi | Aug. 23 |..---- G026 cccse ch esne: 50 50 | Grasshoppers and oatmeal (used for trap bait). 2869} of | Aug. 23 |....-.. G4 52 S222 90 wih a Do. sofl | Q | Aug. 23 |...--- QO fe deecusseacees HOO de 22 55 Grasshoppers. 3872 | of | Aug. 23 |...--- RON 253 Bhs enter 60 40 | Grasshoppers and cactus fruit. 3895 do | Aug. 31 | Kiowa, Kans .-........ 40 60 | Insects and seeds. ~ 3896 | Q | Aug. 31 |...--. pe pes ee peor 50 50 Gree ener small insects and seeds. ea de @ *): Acme.) SE}. - .-- Go ea Ae 20 * 80 | Small insects and seeds. soos |. O | Aug. 3k |-...-- er hee : ee ae Grasshoppers. 3899 |} 9 | Aug. 31°}...--.- Be Cee ees Ae cen 50 50 Goseshopperss other insects, and seeds ao wen, SA. fh... iT oe lek See ea 80 20 | Grasshoppers; small beetles; lar- ve of insects; seeds. The following tables show that the contents of the cheek pouches differ widely from those of the stomachs, many things being eaten that are never stowed away in the pouches. For instance, more than half of the stomach contents consisted of insects, while no insects were found in the cheek pouches, the latter invariably containing nothing but seeds. This is what might be expected, as the food laid Sa for winter is carried in the cheek pouches, ) 46 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. Table showing contents of cheek pouches of 11 Striped Prairie Spermophiles (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus). ; Percent- | Percent- at. : age of ace of No. | Sex-| Date. Locality. animal |vegetable Contents. matter. | matter. | OC OO | | Lf 1887. 84 o | May 27] Browns Valley, Minn.|.......... 100 | 43 grains of wheat; 400 seeds of millet; 2 seeds of Stipa spartea; 1 seed of Polygonum. 100 ° | May 30'|:--2-- Ors sack ea asp ce eee 100 | Seeds of Lithospermum. 137 Q | June 14 | Harwood, N. Dak ..-..|.......... 100 | 71 grains of oats. 145 gs | June 18 | Grand Forks, N. Dak -.|.......... 100 | 31 grains of oats. 265 ros ge 6 | Fort Buford, N. Dak..|....0..2.: 100 | 127 seeds of Helianthus. 424 oid we 3 | Buffalo Gap, S. Dak...}.......... 100 | Seeds of a Stipa. ees Oct. — | Fort Snelling, Minn ..|.......... 100 | 1,388 seeds of bindweed; 30 sesds of pigeon grass; 4seeds of panic- grass (coll. by Dr. E. A. Mearns). Senaee cee mateo WOe cieoe cessor enie eee eres 100 | 1,075 seeds of ragweed; 95 seeds of bindweed; 110 seeds of panic- 1889. grass (coll. by Dr.&. A.Mearns). 2 ros ey. ae Graham County, Kans|.......... 100 | 163 seeds of black locust. 3872 d | Aug. 23] Washburn, Tex-: :2.34.--2...22 100 | Seeds of prickly pear (Opuntia r. cymochila). d } Aug./3i | Biews, Kang-.-...oc23)--ccen 52s 100 | Wild peas (Hosackia purshiana). MEXICAN SPERMOPHILE. -Spermophilus mexicanus (Licht.). [Map 3, B.] Description.—This species resembles Spermophilus tridecemlineatus. The ears pro- ject but slightly from head, and the tail is long and quite bushy. The sides and legs are buff; the belly and throat whitish; the back light brown with usually nine or eleven rows of white or buff spots, no solid buff stripes, but the spots are ar- ranged in rows extending from head to tail along middle of back and become shorter laterally; the dorsal stripe is indistinct.* The following measurements are those of an average-sized specimen selected from twelve adults: Total length from nose to tip of tail vertebrx, 308 millimeters (124 inches) ; length of tail vertebra, 128 millimeters (5 inches); length of hind foot from point of heel to point of longest claw, 42 millimeters (1 inches). Range.—This Mexican species enters the United States only in south- western Texas and southern New Mexico, extending thence over the table-land of Mexico to Zapotlan, Jalisco, and as far south as the Valley of Mexico and Orizaba. The area shown on the map gives an idea of only about half of its dis- tribution. Itis known to occur in at least nine states of Mexico—Coahu- ila, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Mexico, Nuevo Leon, Puebla, Ta- maulipas,and VeraCruz. Its range apparently extends across the table- land of Mexico from Mt. Orizaba nearly to the voleano of Colima, and from the Valley of Mexico to the mouth of the Rio Grande, and thence northwestward to El Paso. As yet only a few outlying points have — been determined and much data is needed to determine accurately the * This spermophile is distinguished from the two species of United States spermo- philes, which it most nearly resembles and with which it comes in contact, as follows: From S. tridecemlineatus by the absence of solid lines of buff alternating with the rows of spots, and from S. spilosoma by the spots being arranged in rows instead of scattered irregularly over the back. MEXICAN SPERMOPHILE. 47 eastern and western limits of its range. In the United States its range covers the southwestern third of the State of Texas, extending as far north as Mason, Stanton and Colorado, while it follows up the Pecos Valley as far as Eddy, New Mexico. Habits.—I have met with it in but one locality, Del Rio, Tex., where it was living on low, brushy land and among mesquites. At that sea- son (February), it seemed to keep very quiet as though in a state of semi-hibernation, and was rarely seen. I found a hole with the entrance carefully packed full of dirt, evidently filled from within. A careful search failed to discover any other opening to the burrow, so [removed the dirt and set a small steel trap in the hole a few inches from the entrance. The next day the trap contained a spermophile caught in such manner as to indicate that the animal had been taken while attempting to leave its hole. It was dead, with its head in the trap and the body back in the hole. I was much puzzled at the time that a spermophile should close the entrance to its burrow after the man- ner of the pocket gophers, kangaroo rats, and pocket mice, but Mr. Wm. Lloyd has since mentioned the same habit in writing of the species at Mier, Mexico. He says: “They are common about here, and make numerous burrows in the little hillocks at the foot of shrubbery. The main hole can always be distinguished, as it is invariably covered up. Their burrows extend for a considerable distance, about 10 inches or a foot, under ground. One that gave way beneath my feet I opened up for 2 yards each way and there was no hole near. I hoped that I was on the track of a mole, but a trap in each section of the tunnel gave me the occupant, a spermophile.” At another locality Mr. Lloyd states that their holes were not covered, but it seems that this species does sometimes at least close the en- trance to their burrows, contrary to the traditions of spermophiles in general. The same habit has been reported in the case of Franklin’s Spermophile, where introduced in New Jersey, though I never knew of their practicing it in their native haunts. I have never heard the voice of Spermophilus mexicanus, nor can I find any reference to it. Their habits seem to be little known. Mr. B. H. Dutcher found these spermophiles at Stanton and Colorado, Tex., and at Eddy, N. Mex. He says: “It is somewhat difficult to observe the habits of this species while on foot, as itis shy, and is hidden by the grass from an observer. Those that I saw running seemed to move both fore feet at once, and both hind feet at once, thus moving in what might technically be called a gallop. Considerable speed is attained, and their motions are in no way sluggish as are those of the prairie dog. I saw none at rest, but the family with whom I lived at Colorado had formerly had one as a pet, and they frequently described to me how this individual used to stand on his hind feet. From this, and also from analogy, I infer that an upright position is a common one in nature.” 48 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. ‘** Both at Colorado and at Stanton this species was trapped with great- est success at the roots of mesquite trees, where the spermophiles seem to prefer to dig their burrows. The holes were not uniformly regular in outline, but invariably seemed to descend at an angle and not verti- cally. “At Eddy, N. Mex., the species was fairly common, inhabiting the stony or shingly land. I did not find it at all in the sand, except at the edges, where the sand met the shingle. On the lower staked plain, or on what may be termed the ‘large-mesquite plain,’ they did not seem to inhabit the sandy land or ‘shinn’ry,’ but rather confined them- selves to the hard red soil and mesquite groves.” Mr. E. W. Nelson has observed this species in Mexico, and says: ‘“‘Tt is found about the borders of the Valley of Mexico [near Tlalpam], but is restricted in its distribution. It is only found in loose and rather sandy soil, in fields and along the banks of arroyos, near the border of the valley bottom. * * * It is not uncommon in the grain fields about Irolo, Hidalgo. One was found sunning itself early one morning beside a clod of earth in a field. It remained so quiet at our approach that my assistant and myself stopped within eight or ten feet of it and discussed the question whether it might not have one of our small traps on its feet. To make sure, I took a small piece of hard clay and ap- proached within almost arm’s length to strike it, when it darted off across the field with all possible speed, and was only secured by a quick shot. As arule, these animals are very shy, and make for their holes long before one gets within gunshot. They are so vigilant and quick to take alarm that but few are seen, even when comparatively common. FRANKLIN’S SPERMOPHILE. Spermophilus franklini (Sabine). ~ [Plate II—Map 2.] Description.—This spermophile has somewhat the appearamce of a small gray squirrel, but has ears less than half as long and a smaller tail. The hair is coarse and harsh. In color, it is gray, lighter on the belly, becoming whitish on the throat; the back is suffused with tawny or yellowish brown, and marked with fine wavy cross lines of black; the head and tail are usually clear gray. The measurements of an average-sized specimen selected from ten. adults are as follows: Total length, from end of nose to end of tail vertebrz, 378 millimeters (144 inches); length of tail from angle with back to tip of vertebra, 139 millimeters (54 inches). Length of hind foot from point of heel to tip of longest claw, 52 millime- ters (2 inches). Franklin’s Spermophile is locally known under the names of Gray Ground Squirrel, Gray Gopher, Scrub Gropher, Prairie Squirrel, and Gray-cheeked Spermophile. Any one of these is distinctive enougk where the animal is found, but beyond its range the terms Gray Ground Squirrel and Gray Gopher apply just as well to nearly a half a dozen species of somewhat similar animals found in the Rocky Mountain and Ceurges) TINITMNVYS SNTIHdOWNSdS ‘STIHdOWYSdS S.NIXNVH4 AN Acduelg:’s Asjieg uuPW NPL, “Y) 34v1d ‘ABojpewwuep pue ABojoypwiC jo uoisiaig ‘p ‘ON UAINg eet ee enn Seo ont all Og i ie AP PRR: eee vee FRANKLIN'S SPERMOPHILE. 49 Pacific coast regions.* The name Prairie Squirrel, while serving to distinguish it from the arboreal squirrels, does not distinguish it from the other species of prairie squirrels: Gopher, both from general use and origin of the name, should be restricted to the pocket gophers (Geomys and Thomomys). Let us drop all but Franklin’s Spermophile, which can be confounded with the name of no other animal. When numerous it is an exceedingly troublesome animal, destroying much grain both by digging up the seed and by cutting and tangling down the ripe grain, and occasionally feasting on small chickens from the poultry yard. At the same time, it eats vast numbers of insects of the species particularly injurious to crops, and in this way the good it accomplishes may exceed the loss sustained from its depredations. An examination of the contents of twenty-nine stomachs shows some- thing of the character of the food selected and is decidedly favorable evidence of the animal’s usefulness. If by any means its depredations can be prevented without destroying the animals it becomes the most useful protector of farm products. Various means for preventing their attacks on sprouting grain have been employed with some degree of suc- cess. . Others more effectual may yet be devised. - Range.—The species was first described by Sabine in 1822 from speci- mens collected at Carlton House on the Saskatchewan River in Mani- toba. From this point it ranges south over the Red River and Missis- sippi valleys to central Missouri and southern Kansas, inhabiting the prairie region from its eastern edge along the line of heavy timber west- ward to central Kansas and the Dakotas. Its eastern limit corresponds closely with that of the Striped Spermophile, but does not reach Michi- gan, nor extend as far south as the range of that species. The bound- ary of its distribution in Minnesota may be indicated by a line drawn from the northwest corner of the State to St. Paul. In Wisconsin the northernmost records come from Plover and Ripon, where it is rare; . only two records have been received from Indiana—Kentland and Earl Park—both near the western boundary of the State. Its southern limit is indicated by Bement and O’Fallon Depot, Ill.; Sedalia, Mo., where it was said to occur formerly; and Erie and Kellogg, in south- eastern Kansas. 7 Franklin’s Spermophile ranges west to Belvidere and Kearney in southern Nebraska, and in the Dakotas is not known to pass west of ~ the Missouri River, except at Willow Creek a few miles west of Pierre, S. Dak. Its western limit corresponds closely with the eastern limit of the prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus), the one occupying the moist and fertile eastern prairies, the other the more arid western plains. *Within its range (as shown on the map), there is no animal closely resembling it or that need be mistaken for it by even a careless observer. The Rock Squirrel: (Spermophilus grammurus) of the Rocky Mountains and foothills has somewhat the same general appearance, but when full grown is much larger, with longer tail and ears. 4032—No. 4——4 50 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. At Elk River, Minn., where I first made their acquaintance in the spring of 1872, they were rather scarce, though on a farm with the best of ephonen ne for observing them, usually not more than six or eight were seen during a summer for the succeeding fourteen years of my residence in this place. As they were not sufficiently common to do much damage, they were rarely killed, and their numbers seemed never to change appreciably. This locality is at the extreme eastern limit of their range in that latitude. A little further west they are much more common, and seem to reach the maximum abundance along the valleys of Minnesota and Red rivers. Introduction into New Jersey—A widely isolated colony of these sspermophiles exists in eastern New Jersey, in the region about Tucker- ton, where a single pair, brought from Illinois, escaped from their cage in 1867. Concerning the origin of this colony, Dr, J. A. Allen has writ- ten briefly as follows: ‘‘T learned of its introduction there through Mr. Samuel Jillson, who first wrote me about it some three or four years since. Writing him > recently for further information respecting the date and manner of its introduction, as well as for information respecting its present numbers and the area of its range, he has kindly replied as follows, under date of ‘Tuckerton, New Jersey, May 6, 1877’:—‘ The date of its introduction is May, 1867, when a single pair was brought here by Mr. Sylvester Mathis, from Illinois. This pair soon gnawed out of their cage and escaped. This was in the village of Tuckerton. They are now found in Minahawken, 9 miles north of Tuckerton, and also 4 miles south of Tuckerton, and very likely farther. They are very common on all the farms about here, 3 miles from the village’ [of Tuckerton].” = graphs N. Am. Rodentia, 1877, p. 883.) In June last year Mr. E. i Preble, of the Division of Ornithelogy and Mammalogy, visited Tuckerton, N. J., for the express purpose of ascertaining whether this introduced taba was increasing and | whether their depredations were of a serious nature. In his report he says: “They are known to the inhabitants as the ‘Prairie Squirrel’ in contradistinction from the gray timber squirrel native to the region. Instead of increasing in the vicinity of Tuckerton their numbers have diminished of late years from the constant war waged against them by men, boys, and dogs. Still their range is steadily widening, and they are now common over much of the southern portion of the State. They have spread westward almost across the state to Auburn, Salem County, near the Delaware River, and northward at least as far as Red Lion, in Burlington County. The sandy uplands seem to furnish a con- genial soil in which to make their burrows, which are usually placed in brushy fence corners along fields and roads or oceasionally out in open fields. True to their native instincts they do not enter the more thickly timbered regions, but keep to the naturally open land or cleared fields, pastures, and roadsides, : : t e " if f f . t = ES EO AT Serres ee f7M Sa FRANKLIN'S SPERMOPHILE. 51 “They are destructive to a number of crops, but particularly to corn, which they dig up after it is first planted in the spring. When the animals are numerous this frequently. necessitates replanting and constant watching of the corn by the farmer who wishes to secure a crop. They also destroy a considerable quantity of corn as it stands in the shock in the fall and are said to eat peas and various grains. It is claimed that they frequently kill young chickens and ducks, though I was unable to procure definite data on the subject. It ' is probable that a few such cases have been freely reported and are less common thanis generally believed.” | Habits.—Franklin’s Spermophile is characteristic of prairies and open country, is never found in heavy timber, and does not climb trees. The places usually selected for their holes are among tall grass, weeds, and scattered brush. Often they are found living along the edge of timber that adjoins the prairie or in small groves. At Devils Lake, N. Dak., they were most common in the straggling groves of small trees a little back from the lake, and many of their burrows were placed under logs and stumps or between the roots of trees. They frequently take up their abode near buildings, especially about barns and sheds, and in many cases prove troublesome neighbors. In the summer of 1887 I found them numerous at Browns Valley, on the western boundary of Minnesota, especially among the buildings along the edge of town. Some had holes under houses which were occupied, and I saw one sitting up within 15 feet of anopendoor. ON Ye |98 I) aLvig i, ~~ RICHARDSON’S SPERMOPHILE. 59 females the teats numbered ten, indicating that larger litters of young may sometimes be produced. I have heard the voice of this spermophile on but one occasion, when I mistook it first for the voice of the Striped Spermophile, but after catch- ing the animal it occurred to me that the voice was higher and more like that of the Sonoran Spermophile (Spermophilus spilosoma), to which this species is most nearly related. However, there is so little differ- ence between the voices of WN. tridecemlineatus and S. spilosoma that the one might be mistaken for the other unless careful attention be given them by one familiar with both. Food.—Of the food habits of this species we know very little. The stomach of one specimen that I examined at Kennedy, Nebr., April 24, 1888, contained seeds and the remains of some young mice. The stom- ach of another taken on the same day contained seeds and insects. Other stomachs examined contained seeds, green herbage, and insects. From these few examples it would seem that their food is nearly as varied and of much the same nature as that of the Striped Spermophile. From an economic point of view this species is not of great importance from the fact that it is not numerous in farming districts. Most of the country inhabited by it is grazing land and but thinly settled. The most serious complaint against it is that it digs up the tree seeds planted on timber claims on the Nebraska prairies, but this may be obviated by proper care. Those living in the neighborhood of fields or where trees are planted may be easily killed by any of the methods described on pp. 25-27. When once killed off near the fields, others will not spread over the ground for some time, usually not until the crop is beyond their reach. RICHARDSON’S SPERMOPHILE. Spermophilus richardsoni (Sabine). [Plate I1I—Map 4.] Description.—Richardson’s Spermophile, with its short legs, tail, and ears, strongly resembles a small prairie dog in general form-and color. It has no distinct markings or pattern of coloration; the outer coat is composed of longer hairs covering the fur; the inner fur is soft. and silky, even in August, becoming thick and beautiful in autumn. The lower parts are plain buffy, becoming brighter on the shoulders and sides of neck; the top of the head, cheeks, and back are grayish buffy from a mix- ture of black hairs and the darker under-fur; the tail is plain buff below, washed on the upper surface with black, and bordered by lighter buff. No dark lines are visi- ble in the colors of the tail, but the back is faintly marked with fine dots or wavy crosslines. * *The only animal with which it can be confounded is 8S. richardsoni elegans, a southern subspecies, Somewhat darker colored and less buffy. Specimens from North Dakota and Manitoba are the true richardsoni, while those from Wyoming and Idaho are referred to elegans. At some future time it may be possible to draw an arbitrary line across Montana separating the two forms. 60 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. The following measurements of a specimen selected from eleven adults represent. the average size: Total length, from end of nose to end of tail vertebra, 311 milli- meters (12} inches); length of tail vertebra from angle at base to tip, 82 millimeters (3¢ inches); length of hind foot, from heel to tip of longest claw, 46 millimeters (2 inches). Range.—Like Franklin’s Spermophile this species was first described by Sabine from specimens collected at Carlton House on the Saskatch- ewan River more than 70 years ago, and this locality is still the north- ernmost known point of its distribution. Fortunately it ranges over a comparatively small area in the United States, being restricted to North Dakota and Montana; but in Canada it covers the great plains of Assiniboia and Saskatchewan. The eastern limit of its range may be marked by a line passing in a southeasterly direction from Carlton House through Petrel and Carberry, Manitoba, to the United States boundary, some distance east of Turtle Mountain. In the Red River Valley it occurs from Mayville south to Harlem, N. Dak. Aber- | deen, S. Dak., in the James River Valley, is the southernmost poimt at which it is known. In North Dakotaand Montana we have no records of its occurrence south of the Missouri River though the species is more or less common at Bismarck, N. Dak., and at the mouth of Milk River and Fort Benton, Mont. In the latter State it is found as far west as the Rocky Mountains, at Chief Mountain, Birch Creek, and Choteau. : Its southern subspecies, the Wyoming Spermophile (Spermophilus r. elegans), extends over the sage plains of Wyoming from Cheyenne and the Laramie Mountains westward to Idaho. ft is also found in north- ern Utah and at Fish Creek in the extreme northern part of Colorado. In Idaho it is chiefly a harmless occupant of uncultivated lands; but in Wyoming it does immense damage to crops.* Richardson’s Spermophile - is extremely abundant about the little town of Bottineau, where it is found only on high prairies, and seems to avoid brushy or low weedy land. It is generally distributed over the prairies, but in some places has collected about grain fields and does considerable damage by eating, carrying away, and destroying grain. Habits.—Like every species of spermophile that I have observed, these animals are strictly diurnal. From sunrise till about 9 o’clock they are very active, and may be seen running or sitting up all over the prairies, even at the very edges of towns. After 9 a. m. they retire to their burrows and are rarely seen during the rest of the day; but as * Prof. F. J. Niswander, entomologist of the Wyoming Experiment Station, gives the following account of its depredations: ‘‘On the Laramie experiment farm the acre plat, containing several varieties of barley, was so badly injured that, in some instances, the yield was less than the amount of seed sown. The plats containing the different varieties of oats were also badly damaged. Our acre plat was not har- vested owing to the ravages of these squirrels. Of several varieties harvested only enough seed was obtained to repeat the experiment during the present season. “Mr. J. 8. Meyer, superintendent of the experiment farm at Lander, Wyoming, says: ‘We are bothered a great deal with gophers; they are death on carrots and alfalfa.”” (Wyoming Experiment Station Bull. No.12, April, 1893, p. 25.) RICHARDSON’S SPERMOPHILE. G1 these observations were made late in August, it is probable that the animals were then nearly ready to hibernate, and consequently spent more time sleeping than earlier in the summer.* They are the least suspicious and most inquisitive of all the spermo- philes [have known. They would stand watching me until I approached within a few rods, and if finally frightened into their holes would soon reappear to watch me from their doorways. Probably as they become better acquainted with man and his gopher-destroying inventions, they will learn to be more suspicious and less inquisitive. When running, they flop their short tails up and down like a woodchuck or prairie dog, and when sitting up they keep shaking them as they chipper, just as prairie dogs do. pice Their holes are large, with a little mound of earth like a pocket gopher’s hill in front of each. They seem to be quite deep and to descend with a steep pitch for the first few feet. Of thirteen specimens taken near Bottineau, N. Dak., twelve were males. All werevery fat, and were in good condition to hibernate as soon as the ground began to freeze. It was too late in the season to learn any- thing of their breeding habits, but Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, in his list of the mammals of Manitoba, says: ‘‘ My notes on the breeding season are very brief and inconclusive, but such as they are, they indicate that the young are born about the middle of May. They number sometimes as high as eleven. About the end of June they are half-grown, and begin to show themselves outside of their burrows.” He also states that they appear above ground in spring before the snow is gone, which is some time before the appearance of the Striped Spermophile ; and that they do not hibernate in autumn till about a fortnight later than that species. The spermophiles that do not live near grain fields feed largely upon green vegetation, grass, and various plants. Roots of plants are eaten, and a great many seeds, especially those of pigweeds (Chenopodium album and boscianum) and wild sunflowers, which are abundant and form a considerable part of their diet. They also eat grasshoppers and many other insects. One that 1 shot as it ran out from under a shock of oats had 269 grains of oatsinits cheek pouches. Mr. Ernest E. Thomp- son records 162 grains of oats taken from the cheek pouches of one and 240 grains of wheat and nearly 1,000 grains of wild buckwheat from those of another. Still the loss from ripe grain eaten, stored away, and destroyed in autumn is small compared with that which they cause by digging up the seed after it is sown in spring. Each kernel taken then deducts many fold from the autumn yield. Dr. Coues has written the most complete account we have of the habits of Richardson’s Spermophile, with which he became familiar when attached to the northern boundary survey along the forty-ninth parallel. He says: * That this surmise is correct is proved by the observations of Dr. A. K. Fisher, who found them active throughout the entire day, earlier in the season. 62 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. “It is one of the most abundant animals of our country, occurring by hundreds of thousands over as many square miles of territory, almost to the exclusion of other forms of mammalian life. Millions of acres of ground are honeycombed with its burrows. * * * Inever saw any animals—not even buffalo—in such profusion. I have ridden for days and weeks where they were continuously a8 numerous as prairie dogs are in their populous villages. Their numbers to the square mile are vastly greater than I ever ascertained those of St beecheyi, the pest of California, to be, under the most favorable conditions. Ina word, their name is legion. If Dakota and Montana were the garden of the world (which they are not, however), either the gophers or the gardeners would have to quit. * * * ‘Traveling among them, how often have I tried to determine in my mind what particular kind of ground, or what special sites they preferred, only to have any vague opinion I might form upset, perhaps in a few hour’s more riding, by finding the animals as plentiful as ever in some other sort of a place. Passing over a sterile, cactus-ridden, alkali-laden waste, there would be so many that I would say ‘this suits them best’; in camp that very night, in some low grassy spot near water, there they would be, plentiful as ever. | One thing is certain, however; their gregarious instinct is rarely in abeyance. A few thousand will occupy a tract as thickly as the prai- rie dogs do, and then none but stragglers may be seen for a whole day’s journey. ‘¢ Their choice of camping grounds is however wholly fortuitous, for all that we can discover, and moreover the larger colonies usually inoscu- late. * * * If the animals have any preference, it isa choice of the lighter and more easily worked soils, rather than a question of location. They seem to haunt especially the slight knolls of the prairie a few feet above the general level. There the soil is looser, and the inhabitants have some little additional advantage in their view of the surrounding country. But there are plenty of burrows in the heaviest soil of the ereek bottoms. They dislike stony places for obvious rea- sons, yet they will often burrow beneath a single large rock. I have also found nearly horizontal holes of theirs dug from the face of an_ almost perpendicular bank. In short, there is endless diversity in the details of their habitations. * * * There isone very curious point - in the socialism of these animals. Every now and then, in odd out-of- the-way places, where there may not be another gopher. for miles per- haps, we come upon a solitary individual guarding a well-used burrow, all alone in his glory. The several such animals I have shot all proved to be males; and what is singular, these old fellows are always larger than the average (some would weigh twice as much), peculiarly sleek and light colored, and enormously fat. The earlier ones I got 1 sus- pected to be a different species, so peculiar were they in many respects. I suppose they are surly old bachelors who have forsworn society for a life of indolent ease, though if I had found thein oftener among their RICHARDSON’S SPERMOPHILE. 63 kind I should have taken them for the Turks of the harem. It seems to be a case somewhat parallel with that of the lonely old buffalo bulls so often met with away from the herd. The female brings forth in June. This I infer, at least, from the circumstance that July brings us plenty of young ones two-thirds grown. The young probably keep closely in the burrow until they are of about this size—I do not remem- ber to have seen any smaller ones running about. * * * The gather- ing and hoarding of seeds seems to be their principal occupation dur- ing the summer. ‘* Amidst thousands that we pass only to see them skurry into their holes in trepidation, there are necessarily some observed which do not notice us or at any rate do not take alarm. I have often watched them, where the grass was taller than usual, gathering their store. They rise straight up on their haunches, seize the grass top and bite it off. Then, settling down with a peculiar jerk, they sit with arched back, and stow away their provender in their pouches with the aid of their fore paws. Their cheek pouches are not very large—both together would hardly hold a heaping teaspoonful. When duly freighted they make for their holes. Their mode of feeding, as they do, upon grass blades or any other herbage, as well as upon seeds, is essentially the same. In their foraging excursions, they seem to have regular lines of travel. From almost every long-used hole may be seen one or more little paths an inch or two wide, sometimes so well worn that they may be traced 15 or 20 feet. These paths often run from one hole to another. No matter how smooth the ground, these paths are never quite straight; they repeat in miniature the devious footpath across the meadow, the mysterious something that prevents an animal from walking perfectly straight being in force here. Though properly a vegetarian, like other rodents, the gopher is fond of meat, and I think that no small share of his summer’s food is derived from the carcasses of buffalo. Wolves do not appear to be numerous, in summer at least, in this region, and the polishing of buffalo skeletons is largely accom- plished by the kit foxes, badgers, skunks, and gophers. Hard by a slain buffalo a badger’s hole is pretty sure to be soon established, together with a number of temporary gopher burrows. In proof posi- tive of this carnivorous propensity, I have more than once seen the inside of a drying carcass completely covered with the peculiar and readily recognized excrement of the gophers, while the bones and flesh were gnawed in a way that plainly told who had been there. * * * Comical as a gopher is in some of his attitudes and motions, henever looks so funny as when squeaking. He generally gets down on all fours to it, drops his jaw with a jerk, and squeezes out the noise by drawing in his belly —it reminds one of a toy dog. If caught or wounded, they have an energetic chattering outcry, much like that of other species.” * * * (American Naturalist, 1x, 1875, pp. 148-154.) In the interval of eighteen years since Dr. Coues published this 64 SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. account of the spermophile’s habits, changes have taken place. The Dakotas and Montana are not yet the garden of the world, though the Dakotas represent a fair share of the world’s wheat field. Mile on mile of waving grain now occupies the ground then held in undisputed possession by the buffalo and spermophiles. The buffalo have disap- peared and their bleached bones have been gathered up and sold. The spermophiles remain and are apparently increasing, much to the alarm and annual loss of the farmers of the region inhabited by them. The increase may be only apparent from crowding them out ot plowed land to the bordering prairie. As the plow breaks up and fills their burrows and grain springs up high above their heads, they move to the edges of the fields, where more natural surroundings are found and where they can choose their food from either prairie or field. Thus covering a smaller area their numbers appear greater. At the same time their old enemies, badgers, weasels, foxes, and hawks, are des- troyed or driven back from settlements, and the spermophiles multiply more freely unless a constant war of extermination be waged against them. As the situation becomes serious various means are employed for their destruction. County officers,in the hope of lessening their numbers, offer bounties with the only visible result of emptying the county treasury. Men and boys are employed on some of the farms to shoot and poison them. The Department of Agriculture is eqns appealed to for help or advice in the war against them. Injury to crops.—Many complaints have been received, particularly from North Dakota, from farmers living in the region where Richard- son’s Spermophile is common. Mr. Rollin C. Cooper, of Cooperstown, - Griggs County, writes as follows: “ Spermophilus richardsoné is present in great numbers and very destructive to small grain, doing most dam- age after the grain begins to head out and shade the ground fully; they then pull down the grain and cut off the upper part of the stalk for many rods around their holes, seemingly to let sunlight strike the ground; they do not like damp places and are more numerous on roll- ing than on flat ground. I farm 7,000 acres and I think I can rid my farm of gophers at little expense by using wheat poisoned with strych- nine.” Under date of July 15, 1889, Mr. G. W. Sewell, of Rugby, N. Dak., describes the manner in which this species injures the crops in Pierce county: ‘““We have a gopher here that is so destructive that we shall have to do something to protect ourselves or leave the country. I have lived in the grasshopper and chinch-bug countries; the gopher is worse than either. We have a fize stretch of land south of the Turtle Mountains, but the entire community is discouraged by the destruc- tiveness of the gophers which seem to be native to this part of Dakota. They go into the ground in September and October and stay till the snow melts, say April 20. Then they come in great numbers and seem to be always starved; they willeat anything: grass, grain, meat, potatoes, RICHARDSON’S SPERMOPHILE. 65 onions, horse manure. When we commence working the land in spring they are all over the fields and eat the seed wheat. They come in from all the vacant land about and eat the wheat from the time it has sprouted until 2 inches high; then they eat the blades. By May 20or the 1st of June they have a litter of about eight young. They destroy wheat, corn, beans, and dig out flax seed and potatoes. They com- mence cutting down stalks of wheat about June 15 and continue to cut them until ripe; then they shell out the grain and carry it into their holes. They cut down the prairie grass where there is no grain. At certain times they eat each other when found dead. They are too numerous to count. They have destroyed from 60 to 80 acres of grain for me, and in some places have destroyed 60 per cent of the crop.” Mr. Elmer T. Judd, writing from Cando, N. Dak., August 1, 1890, gives the following account of the damage done in Towner County and the means adopted for the destruction of this pest: ‘¢The Richardson’s Gopher which I send is one of almost countless numbers which are found in this county. They do a great deal of damage to the crops, commencing their work when the wheat and other grain aresowed, and continuing until after they are harvested. They dig up the seed and then eat the young shoots. During a dry spell they simply cut the stalks off for the moisture there is in them, and when the grain is nearly ripe they commence breaking down and picking the grain from the heads. ‘¢ Some farmers calculate they can make wages killing gophers in the extra amount of wheat they get at harvesting time. An old gentle- man here, familiarly known as ‘Grandpa Main,’ who is in the neigh- borhood of 60 years of age, killed 1,500 gophers by actual count before the 1st of June, many of which he opened and found to contain from 5 to 7 young. From about the 1st of June until the middle of July this inan and a cotton broker from St. Louis, Mo., who spends the summer here on his farm, calculated that they had killed over 2,500 more. One afternoon they killed 135, as shown by the tails they had captured. ‘This shows the number of gophers one man could destroy if he paid strict attention to the business. The above 4,000 gophers were killed on and around the outer edges of one section of land—1 square mile.” Prof. C. B. Waldron, arboriculturist of the North Dakota Agricul- tural College and Experiment Station, reports that in eastern North Dakota this spermophile has extended its range -considerably to the ‘south and east during recent years, and has become much more abun- dant than formerly, while at the same time Franklin’s Spermophile has decreased in the same area, the inference being that the latter is being driven out by Richardson’s Spermophile, as the brown rat has driven away the black rat and the red fox the gray fox over large areas. Prof. Waldron says: “At Amenia, Cass County [N. Dak.], Spermophilus richardsoni first appeared in 1887 and has since 4032—No. 4——5 oo 66 ' SPERMOPHILES OF THE MISSISSIPPI! VALLEY. increased rapidly, S. franklint 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 S. 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 ‘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 Valley 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. RICHARDSON’S SPERMOPHILE. 67 Table showing contents of 18 stomachs of Richardson’s Spermophile (Spermophilus richardsoni). Percent- | Percent- Cat. : age of | age of Wo. Sex. | Date. Locality. animal |vegetable Contents. matter. | matter. | 1887. . 220} of | Aug. 13 | Devils Lake, N. Dak ..'.......... 100 | Mostly oats; some herbage. Se ote. [es LOY |... "os en i 20 80 | A few small insects; mouse hair; mostly herbage or roots. 2238 | of | Aug. 15 |.....- i eee ee 5 95 | A few bits of insects; grain; : herbage; a Polygonum seed, Mane | aeagolT |..--. tice te aici aS aie mn winins as 100 | Herbage; Chenopudium seeds; | Solanum seeds and berries. a ee Rs oo sicnie wisn Been oes 100 | Half wheat; nearly half green herbage; a few small seeds. oat Va) } ue Le cases Urles ass 6 xce ees [eS aeiprsate 100 | Oats. 233} o | Aug. 24.| Bottineau, N. Dak ....'........- 2 98 | Mostly barley and seeds of bind- weed; few particles of indeter- minate material. Sha et atigs 28)|. 62... GG cata aet sthony 10 90 | Grasshoppers; grain; green foli- age. 36) gf | ae 24. |... 6 URE PON Ce et ee 10 90 | Hair; mostly green herbage; probably grass. 230.1. ae pnmug. 24 7... GO Cree = ta! 4 i wad are Pw Pa ‘pal i 7