RATS AND MICE FAMILY 



2.35 



HARVEST MOUSE 

 Reithrodontomys humulis (Audubon and Baclnnan) 



General Description. — A very small Mouse scarcely 

 more than one-half the weight of the House Mouse. 

 Head small ; nose pointed ; ears rather large, thinly 

 haired ; body slender ; tail long and scantily coated with 

 hair ; feet of moderate length, slender ; front incisors 

 with conspicuous longitudinal, median groove ; general 

 color above, fuscus brown ; underparts dingy gray ; hair 

 of moderate coarseness. 



Dental Formula.- 



Incisors, — — ; Canmes, -~ : 



Pre- 



molars, ^; Molars, 3^3=16. 



Pelage. — Adults: Sexes identical. Seasonal varia- 

 tion occurring but not especially conspicuous. Above, 

 fuscus-brown, darker along median dorsal line; sides 

 more fulvous, with indistinct lateral line ; underparts 

 dingy-gray tinged with fulvous ; feet whitish ; ears 

 dusky ; tail above dusky, below grayish-white. Young : 

 Similar to adults but grayer. 



Measurements. — Total length, 5 inches ; tail verte- 

 brae, 2.2 inches ; hind foot, .7 inch ; ear, .4 inch. 



Range. — Coast district of South Carolina and 

 Georgia, southward into Florida. 



Food. — Seeds and grain. 



Related Species 



Harvest Mouse. — Reithrodontomys humulis humulis 

 (Audul>on and Bachman). Typical animal as described 

 above. South Carolina, Georgia, southward into 

 Florida. 



Merriam's Harvest Mouse. — Reithrodontomys mer- 

 riami Allen. .Smaller and darker. Coast district of 

 southwestern Louisiana into Texas. 



Kansas Harvest Mouse. — Reitlirodontomys dyehei 

 dychei Allen. A small, dark form with spots at base 

 of ears. Kansas east to St. Louis, Missouri, south to 

 Oklahoma, north to Nebraska and southwestern Iowa. 



Mountain Harvest Mouse. — Reithrodontomys mon- 

 tanus (Baird). Coloration above brown, below yellow- 

 ish-gray. Colorado. 



Large-eared Harvest Mouse. — Reithrodontomys 

 megalotis mcgalotis (Baird). Largest of the Harvest 

 Mice, ears large, total length nearly 6 inches. Western 

 New Mexico, eastern Arizona, Utah, California and 

 southern Nevada. 



Long-tailed Harvest Mouse. — Reithrodontomys 

 longieauda longicauda (Baird). Size small, colors 

 dark; tail long, more than half the length of head and 

 body. Western California. 



Drawing by Htmy Thurstuu 



HARVEST MOUSE 



One of the smallest of our native Mice, weighing about half as much as the House Mouse. A creature 



of the open, grassy country 



