78 



YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



From "Mammals of Lake Taboe" by Robert T. Orr. Courtesy of publiiber, California Academy of Sciences. 



MEADOW MOUSE 



from the Valley up to our highest moun- 

 tain. It is larger than the other form, 

 sandy tan above, with a flat, brush-like 

 tail. The latter character is not so pro- 

 nounced in the young. Rock slides at or 

 above timberline are one locale for this 

 species, where it nests back among the 

 stones. It is reputed that the bushy-tail 

 has a more highly developed "collecting 

 instinct" than does the Streator. 



Yosemite wood rats are chiefly noc- 

 turnal. Usually one is not aware of their 

 presence unless attention is forcibly 

 brought to them, as in a building or when 

 they are the cause of some untoward 

 event in the trailside camp. Their food 

 consists mainly of vegetation — leaves, 

 fruits, seeds, nuts, roots, bark, fungi and 

 the like. 



The Sierra lemming mouse is quite 

 similar in appearance to the meadow mice 

 (see illustration of latter), but has much 

 softer fur, a shorter tail, and is sandy 

 gray in color. It is sparsely distributed in 

 the Sierra and not too much is known 

 about its habits. 



It is known generally as an inhabitant 

 of the high meadows near patches of 



heather. However, a companion and I 

 once captured one for the Yosemite Mu- 

 seum on a nearly barren ledge, two-thirds 

 the way up Ragged Peak. On two occa- 

 sions in the fall of 1949, I was present 

 when Naturalist Robert N. Mclntyre 

 saw what must have been this species on 

 the shouldus of Mt. Lyell, well above 

 any meadows or heather. These were 

 startled where weathered cracks in the 

 granite supported a limited growth of 

 grass and sedge in otherwise barren coun- 

 try. On both occasions the animal sought 

 shelter under some rocks near at hand. 



Among the commonest of wild mam- 

 mals in North America are the mead- 

 ow mice, often called "held mice" by 

 the farmer. The species in our area are 

 chunky, short-tailed, with ears nearly 

 hidden in the dark brown, dense, flurry 

 fur. The ey?s are placed to afford a wide 

 range of vision, particularly overhead. 

 This must be very useful, since vigilance 

 is the price of life. No predator scorns 

 the meadow mouse as an item of food. 



Tough little animals, they can endure 

 severe extremes in living conditions. The 

 fur is water resistant and they can even 



