to comparatively loose soil where it makes a series of 

 tunnels which ramify in all directions. It frequently 

 follo\^s corn rows and removes newly-planted seeds. 

 Occasionally it enters gardens and takes beans and 

 other seeds. In addition, it does considerable damage 

 to bulbs and the roots of growing plants. It is particu- 

 larly destructive to sweet potatoes and tap roots. 



The pine vole is covered with a soft, dense fur, 

 which resembles the coat of the Mole in texture. The 

 general coloration is rusty brown above and the under 

 parts are whitish. The ears are short and inconspicu- 

 ous and the eyes are small. The tail is very short, total- 

 ling only about one-fifth the body length. The legs are 

 short and in some ways the animal resembles a shrew, 

 but the rounded head, blunt nose, and typical rodent 

 teeth, enable one to easily identify it. 



The pine vole nests in a globular mass of dried 

 leaves and grasses placed in an enlarged chamber along 

 one of the subterranean tunnels. There are usually 

 from four to six young in a litter. These are born in 

 the latter part of March or in the early part of April. 

 There are probably five or six broods in a year. 



The Meadow Mouse 



Microtus pennsylvanicus 



The meadow mouse is abundant in all parts of 

 Pennsylvania and, with its relatives, is probably the most 

 abundant rodent in numbers and species on the North 

 American Continent. While our common species pre- 

 fers moist meadows and swampy fields for its home, it 

 frequently extends its burrows into cultivated fields. 

 Occasionally it constructs a summer nest under a log 

 or in a tussock of grass. While it sometimes bears its 



-^>i_ 135 J^s.- 



