YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES 



thung. The bright tan sides and pure 

 white underparts, contrasting strongly 

 with the reddish dark brown area on the 

 head and back, give a clean, attractive 

 appearance. The long hind legs indicate 

 the source of the bounding gait responsi- 

 ble for the name. The exceptionally long 

 tail serves as a "balance rod" to the ani- 

 mal when it makts leaps. 



Jumping mice inhabit the cool, wet 

 meadows and stream banks in the mid- 

 dle elevations of the park. They swim 

 readily. Being generally nocturnal, they 

 are seen usually only by accident. Unlike 

 most mice, they hibernate. 



The food consists of seeds, mainly those 

 of grasses, though stems and leaves enter 

 into their diet also. 



Tracks of yellow -haired porcupine. Mmd foot 

 on left, front on right. Six-incli pencil. 



Yellow-haired porcupine. 



There is a fair chance of seeing the 

 yellow-haired porcupine anywhere in 

 Yosemite from the lowest reaches up to 

 timberline. If you find one, there is no 

 need for apprehension, provided you keep 

 out of reach. The "porky" is not aggres- 

 sive. Porcupines cannot shoot their quills. 

 The black, barbed outer tips of the yel- 

 low quills fasten themselves very easilv 

 into an "enemy" on contact or may be 

 driven in firmly by the action of the 

 thick, muscular tail. 



"Stickers" are not the only body cov- 

 ering. They replace part of the underfur, 



but may be kept so flat as not to show 

 through the overhairs, except on the tail, 

 unless the animal is excited or on the 

 defensive. The fur is brownish black, 

 with a coat cf yellow-tipped guard hairs. 

 The underparts lack quills. 



Some predators take advantage of this 

 last fact and manage to kill porcupines 

 by flipping them over and attacking the 

 under side. There are, however, plentv 

 of cases on record where coyotes, wild- 

 cats and others have been seen with a 

 "faceful." The young possess hair and 

 some spines at birth. 



While the yellow-haired porcupine is 

 particularly fond of the inner bark of 

 trees, it feeds on other tyoes of vegeta- 

 tion, including fruits. In winter, an in- 



