G. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 241 



The occurrence of this animal so far north is very remarka- 

 ble, and it may be a question whether it had not been brought 

 from Mexico or California, and escaped from confinement. 

 It is an animal very much sought after as a pet, being clean 

 in its habits, and readily becoming very tame and affection- 

 ate ; indeed, it would seem to be quite a desirable animal to 

 domesticate and keep about the house as a protection against 

 rats and mice. Some years ago a specimen of this same an- 

 imal was brought into the Smithsonian Institution, having 

 been captured in a hen-coop near the city ; it was in capital 

 condition and in full fur, but it had evidently escaped from 

 captivity, as shown by the marks of the rubbing of a collar 

 around the neck. Newspaper. 



LAW IN" REGARD TO KILLING BUFFALO. 



A bill was introduced into the U. S. Senate during the ses- 

 sion of 1871-72 (but failed to become a law), by Mr. Wilson, 

 of Massachusetts, in regard to killing the buffaloes upon the 

 plains, except with the object of using the meat as food, or 

 for the hides, making it unlawful for any person to kill the 

 bison, or buffalo, upon the public lands for any other purpose, 

 and for the violation of this law the offender is, upon convic- 

 tion by a court of competent jurisdiction, to pay a fine of 

 $100 for each animal killed, one half the fine to be paid to the 

 inform er. Bill. 



HIBERNATION OF THE JUMPING MOUSE. 



In an article in the June number of the American Natural- 

 ist Professor Tenney announces the interesting fact that the 

 jumping mouse [Jaculus hudsonius) hibernates during the 

 winter in the manner of various well-known species of mam- 

 mals. His attention was drawn to this fact by discovering 

 an individual of this species coiled up in the earth while 

 making an excavation during the past winter in an Indian 

 mound. Although he at first supposed it to be entirely dead, 

 he discovered that, on warming the animal, it gradually be- 

 came active, and that it was thrown back into its winter 

 sleep by exposure to cold. The experiment was repeated a 

 number of times in succession, always with the same result. 

 5 D.June, 1872, 330. 



