The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1862-01-22
McGREGOR IOWA, WEDNESDAY, JAN. g. 1862
For the TINES.


Correspondence.
There is certain little Animal called the
gopher, and this small species Of qnadru-
ped is divided into three classes: lst, the
little striped gopher which makes his home
beneath the soft and yielding soil Of the
prairie. 2d, the grey gopher somewhat
larger than his striped relation, and less
numerous, who seldom presents himself to
notice, only occasionally seen by the pio
neer upon the border Of civilization. Sd,
and long to be remembered by the farmer,
the pocket gopher who burrows beneath the
soil, seldom showing his guilty head above
the earth. He derives his name from the
"pockct city from which he probably orig
mattel, or else because dame nature has
furnished him with pocket or pouch be.
meath his lower jaw into which he puts his
dirt while perambulating beneath the soil.
When he has fillsd his pouch with dirt he
brings it to the surface and deposits it SO
silently that you would not imagine that an
animal was near If it was not for the large
pile he deposits in very short period of
time. He is very mschicvous, and many
a farmer has had reason to regret that this
subterancous animal Vas ever invented.
had almost forgotten the existence Of this
mischievous little fellow, but was reminded
Of him by some of his labors in our "pock-
ct city" from which his ancestors cmigrated
sometime since at the approach Of "civil-
IL, folks have not seen this resident
Gopher" but his particular species is
clearly distinguishable from the quantity
Of dirt he brings up in the pouch or pocket
nature seems to have provided him with.
For instance in one of his burrowings,-
underground, Of course-he came in con-
tact with an old gate and because he could
not fill his pouch with the hard material Of
which the hinges were made lie became
highly indignant and rising to daylight
discharged what little matter he had in his
pouch, "resumed" his borrowings. An
uneven and slippery sidewalk was next en-
countered which soon made him "lc down."
but filling his pouch with dirt he comes
above the soil and tries to define his posi-.
ton, but his mouth being so full he merely
shows by the amount he has brought up
that he was "backslider," and slid into
his hole again. Pursuing his daily avoca-
tons Of burrowing he comes across
bug which to him assumes many shapes
so frightful and s,ideous that he is made
uncommonly sick with disease so deep
ly seated it ,cM one day carry him off.
After few days labor his animal propen-
sites were highly gratiiied by his burrow-
ing into large dining hall where they had
big fry" and being lett to himselr' he
filed his belly with "provisions," and then
he thought that he would fill his pocket for
a lunch at home. Having stuffed it 10 re-
pletion, he was about to depar: with his i'll
gotten booty when he was kindly ash sed to
pay, but being out Of funds he gave his
mote and departed thinking how easily
he had paid for a meal, when behold he
found he could not enter his ''hole under
the bluff without e.nptying his pouch,
which he accordingly did, and the outsiders
had a view Of what the insiders had been
about. lii.
For few days he lay idle after the ''big
fry" when he commenced his labors, but
shortly had his nerves very much shocked
by coming to bank composed of such
hard material that he could not fill his
pouch or proceed an inch in that direction,
and having worn off his teeth and claws in
his Intellectual efforts to gain an entrance,
he consoled himself by entering an old
''tin box or SAFE filling his pouch there
from, bringing it to the mouth Of "his hole
under the bluff and exposing it to the
passer by as one Of his discoveries in
search Of the hidden things beneath the
notice Of others. If the great fire has not
burned him out he may be seen again if
he is, shall try to sweep him away with
my new
... .. Broom.