Hren Songs For Gophers

W. H. Gilbert, locksmith, astronomer, fishenaarj, scientist, hunter and capitalist, is a great fanoier of gopher mcat, and bas thought of niany v?avs of catching the game. Some time ago he learned that there was a f amily living iu the northwestern part of the covmty which boasted of young men -who could "sing" gophers out of their holes. He traveled many miles to ascertain if the report was really true. The young men werereluctant at first to give an exhibition that might reveal their secret, bnt Mr. Gilbert had a nurnber of pnrsuasivesalong and flnallj they consented. The young men equipped themselvea with a gunny saok and a pointed stick about five feet long. A half mile frorn the house, iu the wire grass of the rolling pine land, they found the hole of a gopher. They covered the entrance of. his tunnel with a saok and planted the stick over the tunnel. Then all of 'the men lay down about 20 feet away and one of them sang. In a half hour the sack was seen to move sligbtly, whereupon one of the youug men jumped up quickly and ran to the stick, whích he pressed deep into the ground, cutting off the gopher's retreat. The other reached his hand into the hole and brought out a big gopher, ■which was made into a delicious stew for their dinner. Mr. Gilbert, discoursing on the incident, says: "I have since learned that the Mexicans, who are very fond of gophers, pnrsne this method, except that they do not sing. The singiug is entirely superfluous. Curiosity is what kills the gopher, as it has killed the historie cat. The animal evidently is curious to learn what it is that has darkened the threshold of his abode and comes forth to see. The stick does the rest. I have tried the same plan myself and very euccessfully. "-