WILD LIFE OF ORCHARD AND FIELD 



These mice are extremely abundant on the Illi- 

 nois prairies, especially in those places that are 

 wet and low; and Kennicott gave an excellent ac- 

 count many years ago of their habits there. When 

 the heavy rains of autumn drive them out, they 

 move to higher and drier ground, and look for 

 some hillock, or old ant-hill, under which to dig 

 their home. In digging they scratch rapidly with 

 the fore-feet a few times, and then throw back the 

 earth to a great distance with the hind-feet, fre- 

 quently loosening the dirt with their teeth, and 

 pushing it aside with their noses. As the hole 

 grows deeper (horizontally) they will lie on their 

 backs and dig overhead, every little while backing 

 slowly out and shoving the loose earth to the en- 

 trance. These winter burrows are only five or six 

 inches below the surface, and sometimes are sim- 

 ply hollowed out under a great stone, but are re- 

 markable for the numerous and complicated cham- 

 bers and side passages of which they are composed. 

 In one of the largest rooms of this subterranean 

 house is placed their winter bed, formed of fine, 

 dry grasses. Its shape and size are about that of 

 a football, with only a small cavity in the centre, 

 entered through a hole in the side, and they creep 

 in as do Arctic travellers into their fur-bags. 



1 80 



