MICHIGAN 257 



through, or attack those which are beaten down by the 

 weather, often venturing into the water after it. Among 

 the animals to which the rice is a boon is the musquash, 

 which nibbles the straw as well as the grain. 



It is a singular circumstance that among the small 

 mammals which lay up a store of food for winter use, 

 those that keep to the ground collect much greater stores 

 than those with an arboreal habitat. The chipmunk, 

 for instance, often lays up a food-depot,, if I may use the 

 term, which is at least fifty times its own weight ; while 

 I have never found the store of a chickaree (tree-squirrel) 

 to exceed above twelve times its weight. 



The native rats and mice of North America belong to 

 different families from those of the Old World. The species 

 which struck me most was the common jumping mouse. 

 It is a very small animal, not exceeding the size of a 

 small English mouse, but the tail is much longer, as are 

 the hind legs ; otherwise the little creature has a strong 

 superficial, at all events, likeness to the common house- 

 mouse, which is the terror and torment of our careful 

 English housewives. When disturbed it attempts to 

 escape by a series of leaps of about six feet each ; but 

 it is easily run down, appearing to become partially 

 paralysed with fear when closely pursued, as its leaps then 

 degenerate into little hops. It trembles violently when 

 captured, and makes no attempt to bite. Many of those 

 that I have handled uttered a little squeak of joy or 

 satisfaction on being released ; and, I may remark, I have 

 frequently known birds utter cries of joy under similar 

 circumstances. 



The jumping mouse, Zapus hudsonianus, does not 

 associate in large numbers, but its habitat has an enormous 

 range, extending, practically, to the whole of the northern 

 half of the continent. According to books it is found 

 far within the limit of the 60th parallel, if not as far as 

 the Arctic circle ; and within my own knowledge it 

 extends southward as far as the north of Mexico. It 



