1936] MAMMALS OF OREGON 195 



With their homes in the treetops, they naturally occupy only the 

 areas of extensive forest or areas of recently isolated forest. They 

 are found mainly in the branches of Douglas fir, but occasionally 

 also in Sitka spruce and grand fir. A few years ago they were con- 

 sidered one of the rarest mammals in North America, known only 

 from two specimens, but when their tree-dwelling habits became 

 known, they were found to be common over a wide extent of country 

 and are now better known than most of the small mammals. 



History. The red tree mouse was first made known to science 

 by its discoverer, Aurelius Todd, of Eugene, Oreg., when he sent a 

 specimen to the National Museum in 1890. It was collected near 

 Marshfield, in August, and was described in the Proceedings of 

 the United States National Museum of November of the same year, 

 by F. W. True, curator of mammals, with a letter from Todd giving 

 the first information regarding the habits of the species. For sev- 

 eral years he had known of them in southern Douglas County and 

 knew of their tree-dwelling habits, but the type from Marshfield, 

 Coos County, was the second specimen he had seen. Their nests 

 on the branches of the Douglas spruce had been found in consid- 

 erable numbers not only in Douglas, Coos, and Curry Counties, but 

 in Lane County, a considerable range being thus indicated in this 

 first account of the species. 



In 1907 William Bebb, of Los Angeles, Calif., showed several 

 specimens that he had taken the previous year at a lumber camp near 

 Marmot, Oreg. When the tall Douglas spruce trees were felled for 

 lumber these mice were found stunned or killed by the crashing of 

 their nests, often located 100 feet up in the treetops. 



In 1914 Alfred Shelton, while at the University of Oregon, secured 

 two specimens of this rare mouse and learned to recognize their bulky 

 nests in the treetops. He found the nests on Spencer Butte, and 

 together he and the writer alternately climbed a lot of tall trees and 

 examined many nests but secured only one of the mice at that time. 



In 1917 Jewett found them abundant along the lower Rogue River 

 Valley in Curry County, where their bulky nests were seen in the 

 spruce trees from 15 to 80 feet above the ground. He secured a 

 couple of the mice alive but they failed to survive a long, hard pack 

 trip. 



Meanwhile the tree mice had been found in several places in north- 

 western California and very carefully studied by H. E. Wilder, 

 Walter P. Taylor, and A. B. Howell, so at present few of our small 

 native mammals are better known. 



In July 1927 a piece of dried skin with the unmistakable red fur 

 of the tree mouse was picked up by Jewett, who was on his way up 

 Salt Creek in northwestern Jackson County, which establishes a new 

 locality record in the Rogue River Valley. 



General habits. These mice are well named, for, so far as known, 

 they live almost entirely in the treetops, often at a height of 100 

 feet or more from the ground. In young forests, of low branching 

 trees they are sometimes found on lower branches, but in old forests 

 of tall trees they are generally 60, 80, or 100 feet up in the green 

 branches, where they travel freely from treetop to treetop. They 

 climb well, although not rapidly, and follow the slender branches 

 with ease and security, the long and well.haired tail serving some- 



