RODENTIA 287 



native plants and grains. 32 Sagebrush field mouse (L. arternisiae) : "a 

 large proportion of the food is composed of Artemisia." 33 



The pine mice (Pity my s f closely related to Microtiis, especially P. 

 pinetorum and its subspecies) "are probably the most destructive of 

 any of the native field rodents of the eastern states." They attack white 

 and sweet potatoes, bulbs, strawberry, blackberry and other plants, 

 nursery stock and stored vegetables, eat freshly planted seeds, and 

 damage orchard trees by gnawing off the bark near the surface of the 

 ground and girdling the roots. 34 As they feed largely underground, at- 

 tacking trees at the base unseen, it is difficult to detect their work until 

 too hte to prevent damage. 36 It is estimated that in 1915-1917 these 

 mice damaged fruit trees in Virginia to the extent of $2OO,ooo. 36 



Prometheomys, of the Caucasus, assigned to this subfamily (Micro- 

 tinae), "feeds on the grass of the alpine meadows, digging up the 

 earth, and so destroys the roots of the grass and spoils the meadows." 

 Mr. Kasnakov writes: "A person who lived in the Gudaur village for 

 thirty years told me that formerly the peasants gathered from 400 to 

 500 ricks, whereas now they collect only from 150 to 200 ricks, al- 

 though the recent ricks are far smaller than before !" 37 



The round-tailed muskrats or Florida water rats (Neo fiber alleni 

 and mgrescens) live in bogs and feed upon "vegetation, such as grass, 

 bark and roots." 38 They are of very limited distribution and of no 

 economic importance. 



The muskrat (Ondatra Fiber of many authors) , native in America, 

 introduced into some European countries, is now the "most important 

 fur animal in North America," the annual catch in the United States 

 alone averaging 13,000,000 or 14,000,000 pelts. 39 The actual reported 

 sales in leading markets for 1919-1920-1921 reached 14, 109, 288 skins. 40 

 The large increase in the use of muskrat fur is shown by the fact that 

 in 1900 only 4,035,000 from the United States and 5,285,000 from 

 the whole world were reported to have reached the markets, and they 



*- Bailey, N. Anter. Fauna, No. 49, p. 101, 1926. 



33 Hall, Notes on the life history of the sagebrush meadow mouse (Lagurus), 

 Journ. Mammalogy, ix, 201-204, 1928. 



**Howell, N. Amer. Fauna, No. 45, p. 54, 1921. 



35 Silver, Mouse control in field and orchard, Farmers' Bull., No. 1397, 1924. 



36 Bell, Death to rodents, Yearbook U. S. Dept. Agric. for 1920, p. 423. 



87 Ognev, Prometheomys, a remarkable rodent from the Caucasus, Journ. Mam- 

 malogy, vii, 215-220, 1926. 



38 Anthony, Field book of North American mammals, pp. 439-442, 1928. 



39 Ashbrook, Fur farming for profit, pp. 198-202, 1928. 



*Osborn and Anthony, Journ. Mammalogy, m, 226, 1922; Natural History, xxn, 

 393, 1922. 



