The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-31
A GOPHER MOTHER.
She Caro- Up Her Life to save Her
Young.


Young.
"A western product, the gopher is a
species of ground-squirrel; his coat,
more gray in shade than the lively lit
tie chipmunk of our northern forests,
is correspondingly striped with black
and white along its back. The eyes, as
with all burrowing quadrupeds, are
small. the lids thin almost to trans
parency; but the jowl formation is very
peculiar. Partitioned from the mouth
on either side is membraneous sac, in
to which he deposits the excavated
earth when boring. These pockets
filed, the gopher turns around and
darts back to the entrance to the hole,
and, cooking his ear listens. Assured
that no enemy is nigh, the wary little
rodent lifts his head straight in the
air, and with sharp Whit and whirl
of his body, empties these pockets, the
dust-cloud settling in graduated cir
Gle around the hole, rising, according
to the gopher's industry, from eight 20
fourteen inches This singular con-
venience for carrying away the bored
earth renders the gopher the most
troublesome small animal the western
farmer has to contend against lie is a
great nuisance, being particularly de-
structive to cereals, and often doing Sc
rious damage to the crops, as i expert
enced last year on my Dakota farm
Quite little distance from my
house is fertile oak opening in which
l planted large field with corn, and
being occupied with other matters, L
neglected to look after 1t until late in
June. What was my surprise and vexa-
ton upon going with my hired man to
the opening to find not 4 spear of corn
visible, and the entire field literally
honeycombed with gopher burrows!
'''Peter, this must be attended to-
! said. What shall be done?'
"'There is but one way to get rid OF
them he answered. Drown them out
'''That seems cruel
"Tt's a great job he said, but you
have got it to do, and replant, or you
won't get even fodder off from it. and
it is the best soil on the place.
so one morning we set about the
determination of the troublesome pests.
water, the oxen drew it TO the opening,
where with the buckets we began
deluging a spot where the burrows
were thickest We had scarcely
emptied a barrel when an old mother
gopher polsed her head out of the water.
with gasp For a second the fright
ened animal .wayed her head from side
to side, then with a turn that sPattered
the water about, she threw up her heels
and dived into the hole. Shortly after
she reappeared, with a young gopher Il
day old in her mouth. Struggling to-
ward me, she dropped her blind burden
at my feet and lifted her eyes to mine
beseechingly. In their helpless express
sion there was something very appeal
ing. Only moment did the half
drowned creature regard me She
then turned, and again Owed
down into the burrow to short
ly return with second baby go-
pher This she laid by the first and
as before. the brave little mother lifted
her irnploring eyes 10 mine, this time
swaying her head and giving out an en-
treating whine. Then she nosed To-
rether the little gophers, and dragged
herself, weak and hating, back 10 ths
rescue of the remainder of her young.
interested, / stood anxiously await
ing her return The water quivered
There. she is coming, said Then
q little claw reached up and feebly
pra bbed at the rim Of the hole She Is
there; she viii be up directly Blu: the