MAMMALS 301 



S. h. spadicipygus Bangs. Size smaller; rump rufous: extreme 

 southern Florida. 



S. h. texiamis (Audubon and Bachman). Size smaller; rump reddish: 

 Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. 



S. h. herlandierl (Baird). Color pale: western Texas and eastern 

 New Mexico. 



S. h. eremiciis Mearns. Color yellowish; size larger: along the lower 

 Colorado. 



5. //. arizonm Mearns. Size large; length 320 mm.; colors pale: 

 Arizona. 



5. minimus Mearns. Size small; fur not hispid; color grizzled gray; 

 length 185 mm.; tail 95 mm.; hind foot 31 mm.: 

 southern New Mexico and Arizona. 



Subfamily 3 . Neotominae. — ■ W o o d rats; 

 mountain rats. Body large, but slender; eyes and 

 ears large; tail long; crowns of molar teeth flattened 

 (Fig. 167): 5 genera, all in North America, i in 

 the United States; mostly in the west. 



Neotoma Say and Ord. With the characters fig. 167.— Non-tubercu- 

 of the subfamily: 28 species, about 10 in the United ^^^"^ '""'^ °^ Neotoma. 

 States, mostly in the western States; most species live in rocky or 

 mountainous regions, building large conical nests of sticks, often in 

 trees above the ground, to which well-defined runways lead. Their 

 food consists of grass, bark, seeds, fruit, etc. Wood rats have 

 several litters a year of from 2 to 5 young each. They sometimes 

 enter houses and resemble the common rat, but may be distinguished 

 by usually greater size, larger ears and eyes, a shorter and fully furred, 

 bicolor tail and white feet and under parts. 



Key to the United States Species of Neotoma 



ai Tail cylindrical and not bushy. 



bi Size large; length more than 320 mm. 

 Ci In the eastern and central States. 



di From Pennsylvania to Alabama N. pennsyhanica. 



d2 In the Gulf States; Texas to South Dakota N. floridana. 



Co In the far-western States. • 

 di Hind feet white. 



Ci Not on the Pacific coast; in the States on the 

 Mexican border. 



fi Throat and breast pure white N. micropus. 



N. albigula. 

 U Throat and breast plumbeous .V. mexicana. 



