Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1888-02-15
sKILLFUL FOUR LEGGED MINERs.
Cunning GOphers and How They Bore
Tunnels-Where They Carry Food

Cunning GOphers and How They Rore
1unneIs-Where They Carry Food.
In appearance, the gopher, or pouched
rat, as it is sometimes called. resembles a
short tailed and short legged rat, with
large head and protruding teeth. Their
cheeks attract attention, having the an
pearance OF being pushed out or stuffed
with something, but this is owing to tbe
IacJ that our miner has two very strange
receptacles, one on each side. seDarate
and distinct from the mouth little car
pet bags we might call them. each lined
with fur, and large enough to enable me
TO thrust in my thumb to the first Joint
Pouches, they are sometimes and otter
called, and as to their use, there seems tc
be diversity of opinion.
Inc front claws of this miner are ex.
tremely large and powerful and enable i
10 construct tunnels with remarkable IA.
plulty When once beneath the srrfact
they construct their mines in every direc
tloIl, with no great regularity, but evi
uehIly with the idea of forming a LADY
rinth that will carry off floods. That this
Is successful l have frequently demon
strated by turning q large stream Ct
water into the mine It wouId RIM i,
without overlooking for long time. ana
have never succeeded in forcine, one or
by this means.
1t would naturally be supDosed tb,t
such miners would place their nest ~
some distant or deep lead in the mine. hut
the reverse Is the rule, the warm nest of
bits OF weed being formed very near the
surface, from which different mines lead
away, taking any water that might come
in. 1t might be assumed that the bags or
pouches were used to carry out the dirt
"nd stones removed, but, curiouslv
enough, they use them for exactly the re-
verse, ana Tor carrying seeds or food.
AS soon as gopher makes up its mind
that It's mining operations have been oh
served, 1t invariably crawls out, or partly
out, OF the mine or burrOw, and, filling
Its pouches with sticks and sand. backs
quickly in, its tail seemingly guiding it to
the hole with unfailing regularity. the
animal never turning, but always back
ing and moving so rapidly that it seems
almost like the curious lizard that rims
one way as well as another. The soil and
material carried in this way is dep0sited
mt the entrance of the mine. and if the
animal thinks that danger is imminent if
bites off earth at the mouth of the bur-
row. Having done this for a few mo-
ments 1t disappears and a second later
the opening closes. and a close eXamina-
ton shows quivering of the earth and n
repeated pushing up as if some one was
patting it from below. In short. the
mine has been filled up from below and
so skillfully that few would notice it.
But where is the miner? Not off in
some deep lead hundreds of feet away.
but near at hand, in tunnel quite at the
surface, that has a port hole about ms
large as pea. Through this ''port hole''
the willy miner takes observations, and
the tunnel will not be reopened for weeks
if it is watched
The gopher comes out generally at night
to feed, and carries seeds in its pouches
but the sand and gravel that is removed
from the mine is never taken in this wav
being pushed up by the animals breast
and forefeet. They are the pests of the
southwest portions of the continent. and
the valleys of southern California are
tunneled by maze of their mines
Golden Days.