Pied Lemming 



red and with a black line down the back, below dull gray 

 tinged with rusty. Winter, nearly pure white. The most ex- 

 traordinary peculiarity of this animal is the enormous deve- 

 lopment of the nails on the two middle toes of the front 

 feet. They are square or rather club-shaped at the end and 

 fully a quarter of an inch in length. 

 Range. Barren Grounds of Arctic America from Labrador to Alaska. 



The name lemming is usually associated with the Arctic re- 

 gions or with the barren mountains of Norway, in which latter 

 locality the term originated. While it is true that most lemmings 

 are found in these regions, it is also true that so far as struc- 

 tural peculiarities go, the lemming mice which have just been 

 considered are quite as much lemmings as their Arctic allies, but 

 it is hard to draw a distinction between the lemmings and 

 meadow mice, so perfectly do they grade into one another. 



The pied lemming lives in burrows in the beds of moss 

 and lichens which cover the northern tundra and feeds solely on 

 vegetable matter. They seem like other species of lemmings to be 

 subject to great variation in abundance from year to year, and in 

 localities where they abound the snow owls are also plentiful, 

 nesting close to the haunts of the lemmings, which in such 

 cases constitute their sole food. 



So far as we know, however, the lemmings of Arctic Am- 

 erica are not subject to such well-marked migrations as charac- 

 terize those of Norway, where probably from overcrowding and 

 consequent scarcity of food there often occurs a great exodus to 

 some other locality. Dr. Coues says of their migration: "Noth- 

 ing can stop them ; they proceed straight on in their course, 

 urged by some restless impulse, swimming broad rivers and 

 lakes and invading towns which may lie in their way." 



As to their habits Mr. E. W. Nelson states that some captive 

 Alaskan lemmings were amusing, inoffensive little creatures and from 

 the first allowed themselves to be handled without attempting to bite. 

 "They would climb up into my hand and from it to my 

 shoulder without a sign of haste or fear, but with odd curiosity, 

 kept their noses continually sniffing and peered at everything 

 with their bright bead-like eyes. When eating they held their 

 food in their fore paws." 



The change of colour in winter and summer is accomplished 

 by a complete spring and fall moult of the hair, the white coat 

 being much longer and heavier. 



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