1298 THE RODENTS 



The best-known representative of the group is the common white- footed 

 mouse (C. leucopus] of North America, which may be regarded as taking 

 the place filled in Europe by the house mouse. It is, however, far more at- 

 tractive in appearance than the latter, although of approximately the same 

 size and general configuration. In addition to its long tail, large ears, and 

 bead-like eyes, this mouse is characterized by having the fur of the upper parts 

 of the body of a rich fawn color, which forms a striking contrast with the 

 snowy white of the under parts and feet. Indeed, when we add to this the natural 

 grace and agility of its movements, we have in this animal, as Dr. Hart Merriatn 

 observes, one of the most beautiful and interesting inhabitants of the forests of 

 North America. 



The white-footed mouse is an inhabitant either of forests or open fields, and in 

 the wild state feeds chiefly upon beechnuts, of which it accumulates large stores for 

 winter use. These stores are generally accumulated in hollow trees or logs, 

 and sometimes may contain two or three quarts of beechnuts or clover seed. This 

 mouse, unlike the hamster, remains, however, active throughout the winter, and 

 may be seen running about on the snow, where its long tail leaves a characteristic 

 track. It is an agile climber, running up tree stems with the activity of a squirrel, 

 and frequently disappearing in some hole at a great distance above the ground. In 

 addition to nuts and seeds, the white-footed mouse will readily eat the flesh of such 

 animals as come in its way, and it is possible that it may occasionally kill small 

 birds for itself. From three to six young are produced at a birth, and there appear 

 to be several litters during the year. The first coat of the young is of a uniform 

 dull gray color. In the northern portions of the range of this mouse, the nest is gen- 

 erally built either in the hollow of a tree or log, or in a burrow; but more to the 

 south these animals construct an "outside nest" of moss, grass, leaves, or bark, 

 which is generally more or less cocoanut shaped, and may be as much as a foot in 

 diameter. It is usually suspended from a horizontal branch at some distance from 

 the ground, and has its entrance on the under surface. The group to which this 

 particular species of white-footed mice belongs is distinguished by having only five 

 tubercles on the first molar tooth in the upper jaw. The rice-field mouse (C. palus- 

 tris), which attains the size of a small rat, does much damage to the rice crops in 

 the Southern States. 



THE FISH-EATING RAT 



Genus Ichthyomys 



A remarkable species (/. stolzmanni) inhabiting the mountain streams of Cen- 

 tral Peru is allied to the preceding group, but distinguished by its aquatic and prob- 

 ably fish-eating habits, as well as by its webbed and fringed hind-feet. In size it 

 conies near the brown rat, but has the head much flattened, larger whiskers, and very 

 small ears and eyes; while in color it is dark above and whitish beneath, with 

 a black-and-white tail. 



