RATS AND MICE FAMILY 



247 



Nests intended to receive the young are lined 

 with the softest of accessible materials. 



" The Meadow Mouse never lives in barns or 

 outbuildings. Its nearest approach to human 

 habitations is the stackyard or piles of wood 

 or boards left on the edge of orchards or fields 

 near houses. It is especially noted for long 

 winter excursions from its summer abode, hid- 

 ing its movements under cover of deep snow. 

 The journeys of the animals are not suspected 

 until the snow disappears, when the trails can 

 be traced to great distances. They reach wheat, 



While the food habits of the various species 

 of short-tailed Field Mice are remarkably 

 similar, their breeding and general habits differ 

 greatly. The variety of habitats is most strik- 

 ing. Some species prefer high ground, while 

 others live in low, moist places. Occasionally 

 the sarrie species inhabits both sorts of localities. 

 Some species live in forests, others in the open 

 prairies. Some burrow under the ground like 

 Moles, while others make smooth paths or trails 

 upon its surface. Except in cold weather, nearly 

 all species can temporarily adapt themselves to- 



Photograpa by the .American Museum of Natural History 



MEADOW MOUSE 

 A well-mounted specimen showing not only characteristic attitude, but also distinctive markings of the fur 



rye, clover and timothy fields and often extend 

 into orchards, nurseries, lawns and gardens, all 

 of which are injured by the animals. Haystacks 

 or shocks of corn and other grain are sure to 

 suffer if left out over winter." 



Field Mice of the genus Microtns have stout 

 bodies, blunt rounded muzzles, small eyes, and 

 short ears — often completely concealed in the 

 fur. The tail is short and hairy ; the soles of 

 the feet are naked or clothed with short hairs, 

 and have five or six foot pads. The incisors are 

 broad and not grooved. 



moist surroundings ; but a few seem to be almost 

 as aquatic as the nearly-allied Musk-rat. 



The nests of Field Mice are compact bunches 

 or globes, composed of grass blades and other 

 dry vegetable fibers. They are placed in de- 

 pressions in the ground, in shallow burrows, or 

 supported on grass stems above the ground. In 

 brush piles they have been found nearly a foot 

 above the ground. Sometimes they are placed 

 under flat stones or logs or under shocks of 

 grain. The structures are so slight that a day's 

 sunshine will dry them out after a storm, and 



