60 WILD ANIMALS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. 



taken were from lower altitudes, but usually the zonal range of the 

 species is considered more Hudsonian than Canadian. They are 

 mountain dwellers of wide distribution over the Eocky Mountain 

 region from northern New Mexico to British Columbia, but over 

 much of this area they are so scattered and so rarely found that 

 they are generally considered rare. 



In habits as well as api)earance they are obscure and inconspicuous. 

 They live in burrows in the grassy parks and make tiny runways 

 under the fallen gray grass from one burrow to another and out 

 to' their feeding grounds, but so well concealed are both their bur- 

 rows and their runways that the animals would rarely be seen, even 

 if they were not largely nocturnal. The field collector with a line 

 of mouse traps in all kinds of situations occasionally gets one by 

 accident and discovers where they are living, and then by continued 

 trapping in the vicinity can usually secure other specimens. In 

 the grassy openings along the south side of St. Mary Lake they 

 were found in unusual numbers. By parting the old fallen grass 

 their runways and burrows could be detected over the surface of 

 the ground, and a little clue to their habits was obtained from the 

 specimens collected, the nature of their homes and the varieties of 

 plants which they had cut for food. The fragments of grass and 

 other green plants were found along the runways and in places had 

 been drawn into the burrows to be eaten at leisure. The stomachs 

 of the mice collected contained mainly green vegetation. The bur- 

 rows and runways were more or less grouped, indicating colonies 

 or famil}^ residences. The nests and homes appear to be entirely 

 underground, and the females .taken for specimens in May and June 

 usually contained four to six embryos. Later in the season young 

 of all ages are found, and it is probable that several litters are 

 raised during the summer. 



Eed-backed Mouse : Eiiotomys gapperl galei Merriam. — These little 

 furry, short-tailed, short-eared, red-backed mice may always be rec- 

 ognized by their bright hazel or chestnut-brown backs and buify gray 

 sides and lowerparts. They live mainly in the woods and are com- 

 mon throughout the timbered area of the park. Specimens have been 

 collected at St. Mary Lake, McDermott Lake, Waterton Lake valley, 

 Piegan Pass, Summit Station, and Java. They are generally found un- 

 der old logs in the woods, but also where there is any protecting cover — 

 as creek banks, loose rocks, brush, or dense growth of vegetation. 

 They burrow in the mellow ground or run in natural cavities where 

 they have their nests and homes and from which they forage out 

 over their feeding grounds. In places where they are common little 

 runways are found, but in general the animals are more on the open 

 ground where they scamper from place to place without the neces- 



