Harvest Mouse 



The rice-field mouse is an abundant inhabitant of the banks 

 of rice fields through our Southern states; though Mr. Bangs states 

 that it is by no means confined to such places, as it occurs in dry old 

 fields, heavy swamps, hummocks and sometimes even on sandhills. 



Those which frequent the dry land burrow in the banks and con- 

 struct subterranean nests after the manner of the cotton rat, but the 

 marsh residents build their nest in the tall rank grass above the reach 

 of high water. In the northern part of their range, in southern New 

 Jersey, they frequent muskrat houses. 



The rice-field mouse is decidedly aquatic in habits and is a good 

 swimmer. 



Varieties of the Rice-field Mouse 



/. Rice-field Mouse. Ory^omys pahistris (Harlan). Description and 



range as above. 

 2. Florida Marsh Mouse. O. palustris natator Chapman. 



Larger and much darker. 



Range. Florida as far south as Micco and Citrus County. 

 $. Bangs' Marsh Mouse. O. pahistris color atus Bangs. Still larger 



and more richly coloured, decidedly reddish brown above. 

 Range. Southern tropical Florida south of Micco. 



Harvest Mouse 



Rcithrodontomys lecontii (Audubon and Bachman) 



Length. 5.05 inches. 



Description. Front (incisor) teeth grooved. Colour russet brown, 



darker with more black hairs on the head and middle of the back. 



Grayish white beneath tail, white below, dusky above, rather 



scantily haired, feet white. The ears are proportionately much 



shorter than those of the white-footed mouse. 

 Range. Coast districts of North Carolina, Georgia and northern 



Florida, two allied forms occur in West Virginia and South 



Florida. 



This is the smallest mouse of the Eastern States and resembles a 

 diminutive white-footed mouse with short ears. The grooved 

 incisor teeth, however, are peculiar and distinguish it from any other 

 long-tailed mouse. 



The harvest mouse is another resident of the Southern States and 

 its favourite haunts according to Mr. Bangs, are grass fields, fence 



130 



