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: had been striking with and switching its tail I found a number of quills scattered » 
over the ground for a distance of 2 feet from it. They were probably knocked off 
- from the tail when it struck the ground or sticks. It did not offer to run, but curled 
its nose down and under,arched its back,and struck with its tail at everything 
' which touched it. I found another under some thick, low bull-berry bushes. It 
- was an adult female, very fat, and weighed 19 pounds. Its actions resembled those 
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of the first, except that when disturbed it ran to another thick bunch of bushes 
about 10 rods away and when approached ran back again. Its stomach was full of 
; _ bull-berry leaves and berries and cottonwood bark. Both of these individuals had a 
~ strong smell, which I think came from their food, for the contents of their stomachs 
smelled the same,ands tronger. The people here kill them at sight, on the supposi- 
. tion that they destroy the timber by gnawing the bark from the green trees, but I 
have not found a tree that they have injured,and I have spent much time in the 
woods here; have tramped all over a large part of the river bottoms where Porcu- 
pines are most common, but found no sign of their work except where they had cut 
branches from the bull-berry bushes to get at the leaves and berries. Their eyes 
‘are small ; iris brown ; pupil large and blue, so the eye looks blue. ‘ 
JUMPING MOUSE (Zapus hudsonius). 
Minnesota.—Elk River, Sherburne County, 1887: Common. 
Dakota.— Flandreau, Moody County, May, 1887: Saw one. Harwood, Cass 
County, July, 1887: Found two in a nest near a wheat-field ; the nest was made of 
‘fine grass, and concealed under some fallen grass of last year ; the entrance was on 
the side ; the nest was placed in a small depression scooped in the ground. Pem- 
bina, July and August, 1887; Common in weedy places. Devil’s Lake, Ramsey 
County, August, 1887.: Common near brush and in weedy places. Fort Buford, 
September, 1887: One found ona nest of fine grass, under fallen weeds and brush: 
- it was an adult male and exceedingly fat, 
YELLOW Pocket MowuseE (Cricetodipus flavus). 
Minnesota.—Brown’s Valley, Traverse County, June and July, 1887: Caught one 
July 1 on the prairie on the Dakota side, about 80 rods west of the Minnesota line. 
Tt was about two-thirds grown, and its cheek pouches were full of the seeds of knot- 
grass (Polygonum aviculare), among which it seemed to be feeding. Saw another 
in a marsh on the Hats, but could not get it. 
Dakota.—F¥ort Buford, September, 1887: Caught one here. 
Montana.—Tilyou’s Ranch, Dawson County, September and October, 1887: Com- 
mon; live in holes which they dig in weed patches on the prairie ; they come out to 
feed about sundown ‘and at daylight; they feed on small seeds of weeds, mostly 
pigweed, but will not take bait. They are fond of the seed of knot-grass (Polygo- 
num aviculare), but pigweed seed is their favorite food, and they are generally found 
in or near a patch of it; I have killed them with their pouches packed full of it. 
J caught 6in my hands, Their holes are smaller than those of any of the Mice, and 
usually are in clusters, Skunks dig out their holes and probably are their worst 
enemy. 
PockET Rat; KANGAROO Rat (Dipodomys agilis). 
Montana.—Glendive, Dawson: County, October, 1887: They live in holes in a 
mound of earth that has been thrown out of a railroad cut; their holes are about 
the size of those made by the Striped Gopher, but are very different in appearance— 
more like those of the House Rat. They are connected by well-beaten paths. 
Most of them enter the ground in nearly a horizontal direction. Usually a little 
. fresh earth is thrown out every night. .a few of the holes are stopped up through 
the day, like a Pocket Gopher’s hole, but they seem to be opened every night, when 
more dirt is thrown out. At these there is always the largest pile of dirt. I opened 
one, set a trap in it, and caught an adult Dipodomys. At some of the holes they 
have thrown out much of a kind of fine, short, prickly grass, but whether it was 
taken in the holes for a nest or for food I could not tell. Their food seems to con- 
sist principally of the seeds of grasses and fine weeds. They seem to be strictly 
nocturnal, for though I have kept traps set night and day, I have not caught one in 
‘the early evening or near daylight in the morning, Oneevening I remained at the 
place until too dark to see a rat at my feet, but I did not see one, nor was one in 
any of the traps when I left. They are not fat at all, and bythis I judge they do 
not hibernate. Have not found anything in their pouches, but some had grass seed 
in si mouths when caught. They are easily caught in steel traps set in the dirt 
E ORNITHOLOGIST AND MAMMALOGIST. 447 — 
