ZAPUS iruDsoNius. 193 



sloping hill-side meets the marsh, another miniature thicket bars 

 the way. Like the first, it is largely made up of the tough Cas- 

 sandra, which here intertwines with Labrador tea {Lcdiim latifoli- 

 unt), sheep laurel {Kaluiia august i'folia), and winterberry (flex 

 IcBvigata). The beautiful Azalea and the woolly steeple bush 

 {Spircsa tomcntosa^ are also usually present, while several species 

 of Vibiimiuni and Connis contribute their share to the'prominent 

 features of the local flora. 



While silently seated in the midst of these surroundings, I have 

 on more than one occasion observed the Jumping Mouse. Some- 

 times he has crept quietly over the bog, winding his way amongst 

 the pitcher plants and low clumps of matted bushes, presenting 

 much the appearance of the white-footed mouse. At other times he 

 has bounded lightly by, clearing the tops of the bushes with every 

 leap, and disappearing so quickly that his identity was with diffi- 

 culty determined. Indeed, when he hides after the first or second 

 leap he is not rarely mistaken for the wood frog {Rana temporaria 

 sylvaticd), which he resembles in color. 



The agility of these animals is almost incredible. I have re- 

 peatedly known them to clear a distance of more than ten feet (a 

 trifle over 3 metres) at a single bound, and their leaps are made 

 in such rapid succession that their feet seem barely to touch the 

 ground. To attempt to catch one when any covert is near is a 

 hopeless task. 



The Jumping Mouse is said, by most writers, to be strictly noc- 

 turnal, but this is not the case. It is crepuscular, like the ma- 

 jority of our mammalia, and is also not infrequently seen abroad 

 by day. 



It nests in a variety of situations : sometimes in hollow stumps 

 and trees, which it is said to climb from the inside ; more often 

 under logs and rails, and in piles of rubbish ; frequently in crevi- 

 ces of rocky ledges ; and occasionally in open fields, a short dis- 

 tance under the surface. 



