460 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 



northeast part of Elkhart County in 1888, and a black one in 

 Noble County in 1880. Various old residents say that it was for- 

 merly found in Marshall County. 



13. OTTER 



LUTRA CANADENSIS LATAXINA (F. Cuvier) 



The Otter was formerly not uncommon in this region, but it 

 is now very rare. One was caught on the Tippecanoe River just 

 below Belong about 1895. Mr. Anton Meyer, a fur buyer of Ply- 

 mouth, Ind., tells us that he gets 10 or 12 Otter skins each year, 

 chiefly from the Tippecanoe and Yellow rivers. 



14. WILD CAT 



LYNX RUFA Schreber 



The Wild Cat or Lynx was probably not uncommon in this 

 country up to about 1850. They are now rarely seen. We have 

 unauthenticated accounts of their occurrence west of Lake Maxin- 

 kuckee as late as 1870, or later. Dr. Hahn records the killing of 

 one near Oxford, Benton County, in 1905. 



15. MICHIGAN WHITE-FOOTED MOUSE 



PEROMYSCUS MANICULATUS BAIRDII (Hoy & Kennicott) 



This species is not as abundant as the Common White-footed 

 Mouse. It does not appear to venture into woodlands or swamps, 

 but seems to prefer dry, open situations such as the edges of fields 

 and grassy pastures. Its general distribution is more northern 

 than that of its near relative P. leucopus noveboracensis. It is 

 very abundant in the sand dunes that border Lake Michigan. At 

 Maxinkuckee it is probably not uncommon, though we have seen 

 only three examples. One was found dead on the railroad track 

 November 3, 1904. Another captured at the Gravelpit October 

 29, 1906, gave the following measurements: Length 118 mm.; 

 tail 48; hind foot 9; ear 10; girth 55. A third example was cap- 

 tured November 3, 1906, in a cornfield east of the lake. 



The young of this mouse differ from the adult in being drab in 

 color instead of yellowish-brown. On one occasion when trapping 

 these mice for specimens it was observed that they were quite seri- 

 ously infested by fleas. The examples thus afflicted could usually 

 be recognized at once by their having the hair gnawed or scratched 

 out from about the root of the tail. 



This mouse can be distinguished from its more common relative 



