The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-16
ON THE WING
Gophers, Turtles and Things
 By JAMES II. HARD

The first time I ever saw a gopher or, perhaps 1 should say gophers, was in Pensacola, Fla. in wholesale produce house near the opera house. There were several hundred of them in a pen made by partitioning off a corner of the store with boards, and they were thrown in on top of each other like potatoes until the pen was several feet deep with them. On inquiring I found that they had just
 been brought in by schooner from St.
 Andrews Bay and were for sale at $1 50 per dozen, also that they were much esteemed by epicures for the delicious stews and soups which could be made
 from them Those in position to know
 say they equal the diamond back terra pin. which, with canvas back buck, has
 made Maryland famous. The gophers are about to g inches long and weigh several pounds. The next time l saw gopher was down in Florida, where Gas l wanted to save time I was walking from Winter Park to Maitland) I noticed alongside the railroad track footprints in the sands of Florida which were new to me. l couldn't decide what they were but following them I came upon the | maker Of them, gopher. It was walk Ing with it's body raised on it's strong feet whose toe nails made little holes in the sand as it moved ahead at slow pace. For fear that it might wander up on the railroad track and get killed concluded that 1 would take it along and convert it into soup at the next hotel at which l stopped, but he was heavy, the sun was hot, and possibly he had date With lady gopher who would be C a fad hA l T concluded that I would put it under a
 bush where it would recover from it's
 surprise, and I walked on feeling lighter
 handed and hearted for having over come the temptation to take a life.
 The next time I saw a gopher was al was driving out few miles from Sanford, Fla. I spied one walking in- side field Jumping out of the buggy 1 quickly secured it and put it under the seat. When I arrived at my destination l presented it to friend, suggesting that he make a stew, but he said he was go- ing to take an aX, bust up the gopher and feed it to his chickens. Then I was sorry I had given the gopher to such cruel man. From the foregoing you will doubtless conclude that gophers are edi- ble.. Though tastes differ, they are con sidered by many as very palatable, and are extensively used for food by the dwellers of portions of Florida. They live in the sandy barrens and subsist principally on grass. They can live without food and water for weeks, and I have been told by persons whose veracity l have no reason to doubt that they actually fatten under such condi- tions. The gopher belongs to the family of reptiles, because, like a baby, it creeps. It's Latin name is festuda caro- lima, but as 1t would probably not answer to that name 1t would be well to ad- dress it by it's common name of Florida chicken.
 A good many years ago there was in Bessemer a young Methodist preacher who has since become quite distinguished (and, by the way, Bessemer has to her credit the starting off of several Meth odist preachers who have since become distinguished). Bessemer was this young mans first charge. I won't mention his name, because he may be averse to see
 ing it in print, but he was fond of telling stories and this was one of them. I doubt if it was original, however:
 A traveller through a Florida pine bar ren came upon a barefooted and bare