AMERICAN WHITE-FOOTED MOUSE. 305 



its neck : it was traced by a servant over the snow a mile into the 

 woods, to a spot where it entered a very small hole. It was dug out, 

 and the man brought us five or six Mice, of this species, that he found 

 dead in the hole, having been killed, doubtless, by the ermine. From ap- 

 pearances, two only had been devoured, the remainder we observed had 

 not been seized by the throat in the manner of the cat, but had the marks 

 of the ermine's teeth in their skulls. 



We do not regard this species as doing very extensive injury either to 

 the garden or farm, in any of the Atlantic States of America. We sus- 

 pect that its reputation in this respect, as well as that of the shrew-mole, 

 has been made to suffer very unjustly, when in reality the author of 

 the mischief is the little pine-mouse (Arvicola pineiorum, Le Conte), or 

 perhaps Wilson's meadow-mouse, {Arvicola Pennsylvanica, Ord, A. hir- 

 sulus, Emmons, and Dekay). The farmers and gardeners, of the North- 

 ern and Eastern States, however, complain that this Mouse, which they 

 generally call the " Deer-mouse," destroys many of their cabbage-plants 

 and other young and tender vegetables, and gnaws the bark from young 

 fruit trees, and if they have made no mistake in regard to the species, 

 it must be much more destructive than we have heretofore considered it. 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. 



According to Richardson this species is found as far north as Great 

 Bear Lake. We saw in the London museums several specimens from 

 Hudson's Bay ; it extends across the continent to the Columbia River on 

 the Pacific, from whence Mr. Townsend brought us several skins. We 

 received specimens from Florida by Dr. Leitner, we found it west of the 

 Mississippi at Fort Union, where it commits depredations in the garden 

 attached to the Fort, and we have received specimens from Arkansas 

 and Texas. 



GENERAL SEMARKB. 



That a species so widely distributed, and subject to so many varieties 

 in size, length of tail, and colour, should have been often described under 

 different names is not surprising. We have ourselves often been in a 

 state of doubt on obtaining some striking variety. The name Hypudceus 

 gossipinus of our friend. Major Le Conte, (see Appendix to McMurtrie's 

 translation of Cuv. An. Kingd., vol i., p. 434,) was intended for this 

 species, as it is found in the Southern States. We were for several years 

 disposed to regard it as distinct, and have, not without much hesitation, 



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