RODENTIA 28l 



stinct." 43 Nests of brush rats or large-eared wood rats (N. fuscipes 

 macrotis) contained leaves of 15 species of native trees, shrubs and 

 herbs. 44 Portala wood rat (N. f. annectens), is "a nuisance and a seri- 

 ous pest . . . destructive to a high degree," carrying off or destroying 

 papers, books, clothing and all sorts of other things; fond of wild 

 fruits and fungi. 45 White-throated wood rats (N. albigula) carried off 

 boxes of pills, powder boxes, candles, soap and other useful articles. 46 

 Colorado Valley wood rat (N. albigula venitsta=cumulator), eats 

 gourd seeds and gnaws the bark of mesquite trees. 47 Florida wood rats 

 (N. floridana), in summer "doubtless feed largely on succulent herbs 

 and berries," and in winter nuts form an important item in their diet; 

 they also eat pawpaw seeds. 48 Attwater wood rat (TV. /. attwateri) is 

 very destructive to pecans, one nest having contained nearly a bushel of 

 them. 49 Desert wood rat (N. desertorum) sometimes becomes abun- 

 dant and does much damage along the edges of grain fields and gar- 

 dens. "Their flesh is as white and delicate as that of quail and finer 

 in flavor than that of squirrel or rabbit." 50 It is reported that a "brush 

 rat," evidently some species of wood rat, successfully attacked a rattle- 

 snake. 51 



Bailey's Texas report furnishes the following wood rat items: 82 Att- 

 water wood rat (N. f. attwateri) eats acorns, walnuts, juniper berries, 

 cactus capsules, Mexican buckeye nuts, grapes, mushrooms, etc. Its 

 flesh "is delicious, of good flavor, white, tender and more delicate 

 than that of the squirrel." Bailey wood rat (N. /. baileyi) : flesh is 

 "very tender and of good flavor, with no trace of the external odor 

 peculiar to wood rats." Mexican wood rat (N. mexicana) : "food 

 seems to be largely acorns and the sweet berries of Juniper us pachy- 

 phloae." White-throated wood rat (N. albigula) includes in its diet 

 "cactus stems and fruit, mesquite, acacia and other leguminous pods, 

 juniper berries, acorns, and various seeds, green foliage and flowers. 



"Newcombe, An ecological study of the Allegheny cliff rat (Neotoma pennsyl- 

 vanica Stone), Journ. Mammalogy, xi, 204-211, 1930. 



44 Gander, Experiences with wood rats, Neotoma fuscipes macrotis, Journ. Mam- 

 malogy, x, 52-58, 1929. 



45 Parks, The genus Neotoma in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Journ. Mammalogy, 

 in, 241-253, 1922. 



"Mearns, U. S. Natl. Museum, Bull. No. 56, p. 476, 1907. 



47 Mearns, U. S. Natl. Museum, Bull. No. 56, p. 474, 1907. 



48 Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 45, p. 52, 1921. 



49 Strecker, Notes on the Texas cotton and Attwater wood rats, Journ. Mammal- 

 ogy, x, 216-220, 1929. 



"Bailey, Farmers' Bull., No. 335, p. 17, 1908. 



81 Hartman, Journ. Mammalogy, in, 117, 1922. 



82 Bailey, Biological survey of Texas, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 25, 1905. 



