598 Life-histories of Northern Animals 



quart of buckwheat they immediately formed a new burrow 

 in which they deposited the surplus." 



Kennicott also testifies:" "It devours grain, of which it 



has sometimes been observed to collect stores in its burrows." 



Later he remarks on these stores that they are collected at all 



■ seasons, exclusive, I suppose, of winter, and consist of nuts, 



grain, and seeds. 



DIURNAL The early naturalists claimed that the Jumping-mouse 

 TURNAL was strictly nocturnal. Dr. Merriam says it is crepuscular.^^ 

 In Manitoba I have frequently seen it moving out by day and 

 have seen it captured at night by the cat. In Ontario, near 

 Toronto, one afternoon, I captured a milk-snake that promptly 

 disgorged a newly swallowed Zapus. In the Bitterroots of 

 Idaho and in the woods of the upper Ottawa I have twice or 

 three times seen a Zapus about the fire at night. We can in- 

 deed find evidence for each of the twenty-four hours. I suspect 

 that the creature is like nearly all mammals, including man, 

 a lover of the soft twilight, but able under pressure to travel 

 by day or by night. 



ENE- Its enemies are every sanguinary flesh-eater that can 



catch it. In view of its agility, this would seem a short list, 

 and yet somehow they do manage to keep its numbers down. 

 Although so prolific, it is nowhere an abundant species. 



HiBER- This animal is unique among our Mice in its habit of 



hibernation. Among the country people of Ontario the 

 Jumping-mouse is called one of the "Seven Sleepers," the 

 rest of the somnolent brotherhood being the Blackbear, the 

 Coon, the Skunk, the Woodchuck, the Chipmunk and the Bat. 

 At one time it was not believed that the Jumping-mouse really 

 did hibernate, but the observations of Dr. B. S. Barton at 

 Philadelphia, General T. Davies at Quebec, Robert Kennicott 

 in Illinois, Dr. Hoy in Wisconsin, Prof. S. Tenney in Indiana, 

 and E. Slade in Massachusetts, as set forth by Dr. Merriam in 



'^ Loc. cit. 2^ Mam. Adir., 1884, p. 291. 



