Arctic Deermouse 495 



The Mouse beats on any near object, with the palm of one 

 paw, so rapidly that it makes a drum-roll suggesting the call 

 of the downy woodpecker, but extremely short and soft. I 

 believe the Arctic Deermouse uses the same means of com- 

 municating with its fellows. 



Vocal power also is well developed in the species. It has voice 

 the usual variety of squeaks, and almost certainly a prolonged 

 song like that attributed to hairdi, indeed, to all our animals 

 in the Mouse and Squirrel groups. 



The tracks of the Deermouse are commonly to be seen on tracks 

 the snow. They show the pairing of the feet that are char- 



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t =>^ 



Fig. 146 — Tracks of Deermouse. (Running to left.) Note tail mark and pairing of front or smaller feet. 



acteristic of climbing animals. Sometimes they resemble the 

 tracks of a sparrow, but the furrow left by the tail will dis- 

 tinguish these (Fig. 146). 



This beautiful little creature is an expert climber, and its xest 

 ideal nesting site is in some hollow log or tree well up from the 

 ground. In the woods this means usually a woodpecker hole 

 or some hollow heart that is reached only by a very small 

 opening. I once found one in a deserted wren's nest in a 

 stump. Around buildings it will use any kind of a cranny, 

 high or low, and will often make a nest in some movable box 

 or bundle within a few hours after it has been set down. The 

 nest itself is an ambitious structure from three to eight inches 

 in diameter, globular, completely roofed in, and entered by a 

 self-closing doorway on one side. It is composed of straw, 

 bark, and various native cottony plants, is very warm, and, 

 like everything about this dainty little animal, shows a keen 

 appreciation of the creature comforts of life. 



