Darwin's mouse. 61 



Emigrants to that section of the country will find the 

 species a great pest in rural economy. General colour, 

 pale dirty ochre mixed with black ; under surface ashy 

 gray. Length of head and body, six inches ; of the tail, 

 four inches. (Specimen in Museum of Zool. Soc.) 

 Closely allied to the genus Neotoma is a species termed 

 the white-footed mouse {Mus leucopus), found in Cali- 

 fornia, and on the borders of the Columbia river. The 

 habits of this elegant little creature are well described 

 by Dr. Richardson, who observed it as far north as the 

 Great Bear Lake. " The gait and actions of this little 

 animal are so much like those of the English domestic 

 mouse, that most of the Europeans resident at Hudson's 

 Bay have considered it to be the same species, altogether 

 overlooking the obvious differences of their tails and 

 other peculiarities. This American mouse, however, 

 has a habit of making hoards of grain or little pieces of 

 fat, which I believe is unknown of the European domestic 

 mouse ; and what is most singular, these hoards are not 

 formed in the animals' retreats, but generally in a shoe 

 left at the bedside, the pocket of a coat, a nightcap, a 

 bag hung against the wall, or some similar place. It 

 not unfrequently happened that we found barley, which 

 had been brought from a distant apartment, and in- 

 troduced into a drawer, through so small a chink, that it 

 was impossible for the mouse to gain access to its store. 

 The quantity laid up in a single night, nearly equalling 

 the bulk of a mouse, renders it probable that several 

 individuals unite their efforts to form it. This mouse 

 does considerable mischief in gardens, and in a very few 

 nights will almost destroy a plantation of maize, by 

 tracing the rows for the purpose of collecting the seeds, 

 and depositing them in small heaps under the loose mould, 

 generally by the side of a stone or piece of wood. From 

 the facility with which it seems to transport the sub- 

 stances it preys upon, I suspected that it had cheek- 

 pouches, but none were found on examination. The 

 Ermine is a most inveterate enemy to this species, and 

 pursues it even into the sleeping apartments of houses." 

 The colour above is fine dark brown ; the under part 



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