FAMILY OF JUMPING MICE 



265 



The Jumping Mice are among the most inter- 

 esting and remarkable of our small mammals. 

 From their long and strong hind legs and long 

 tails they have been called Kangaroo Mice, a 

 name for which their extraordinary leaping 

 powers give some justification ; but the popular 

 idea that, like the Kangaroo, they have a pouch 

 in which they carry their young, i.i erroneous. 

 More than a score of species and subspecies of 

 these little animals are recognized, and, with one 

 exception, a Chinese cousin, they all belong to 

 North America, being distributed over the con- 

 tinent and found at such widely distant points 

 as Labrador, Alaska, California, and North 

 Carolina. The members of the Canadian group 

 are generally to be found in dense woods not far 

 from streams, but all of the other species delight 

 in meadows, shrubby fields, and thickets along 

 the edges of woods, and show a marked prefer- 

 ence for moist locations. 



All of these Mice hibernate ; but some of them, 

 emulating the .Skunk and some Bears, will awake 

 and come out in unusually mild winter weather. 

 Usually they pass six months or more in a dor- 

 mant state. They will sometimes store food in 

 their nests in the summer months, but it has not 

 been satisfactorily determined when this food is 

 used. 



The ne.sts are usually holes in the ground, 

 sometimes only a few inches, and sometimes two 

 or three feet, below the surface, and occasionally 

 they are found in hollow trees. Here the young 

 (generally five or six) are born, in May or 

 June, and sometimes as late as .September. 



It would be difiicult to decide just how far 

 one of these animals could jump. Thev have 

 been known to cover as much as six or eight 

 feet, but statements crediting them with the 

 ability to leap four or five yards must be re- 

 ceived with suspicion. When even six feet is 

 considered in relation to the little acrobat's own 

 length, little more than half a foot, it will be 

 seen that it can cover a distance at least twelve 

 times its size. 



Mr. Edward A. Preble, writing of the habits 



of the common Jumping Mouse, says: " During 



the summer, they are often seen in meadows and 



fields, and are more readily detected during the 



'haying season than at other times, when they 



are driven from their hiding places while the 

 grass is being cut. When disturbed, they move 

 off by a series of frog-like leaps, and often 

 remain motionless after a jump or two, espe- 

 cially when frightened from a nest. In leaping 

 they are greatly assisted by their long tails, 

 which aid in preserving their balance, as in the 

 case of other animals similarly endowed. If, by 

 any accident, a portion of the tail is lost, the 

 power of balancing is greatly impaired, and the 

 animal, if startled, seems unable to pursue a 

 direct course because of failure to land prop- 

 erly on its feet. In their chosen haunts these 

 Mice do not follow beaten paths or runways, 

 like many small mammals, notably Meadow 

 Mice, but seem to wander rather indiscrimi- 

 nately, availing themselves to some extent of 

 natural pathways or open places." 



The nest of this species is globular and about 

 four inches in diameter, and has a small entrance 

 at the side. It is often made of straight narrow 

 leaves or grass and is a beautiful little home. 



The Jumping Mice are harmless, inoffensive 

 little things, and will often allow themselves to 

 be taken in the hand and stroked without mak- 

 ing any attempt to escape. ^^'itmer Stone 

 thinks they are " decidedly less intelligent than 

 other Mice, trusting mainly to good luck and 

 their gift at jumping to carry them through 

 whatever dangers threaten. Apparently they 

 never look before they leap, so that that which 

 should be their safety often proves their ruin, 

 as they are about as likely to spring directly 

 into the clutches of a cat or other enemy as in 

 an opposite direction : in this manner they are 

 frequently drowned in milk-pans and tubs of 

 water which a little ordinary caution would have 

 avoided." 



In the deep woods and near some stream is 

 the locality in which to seek the IVoodlaud or 

 Canadian Jnniping Mouse. It is more timorous 

 than others and scuttles away from man with 

 hops and bounds as fast as its legs will carry it. 

 It is a large Mouse, having a total length of nine 

 inches, its tail measuring nearly six inches. A 

 noteworthy peculiarity of this species is the 

 absence of premolar teeth. It is found through 

 eastern Canada south to western Maryland. In 

 habits it is similar to the Hudson Bay species. 



