96 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Reithrodontomys lecontii impiger Bangs Virginia harvest mouse 



1898 Reitlirodontomys lecontii impiger Bangs, Proc. biolog. soc. 

 Washington. 10 Aug. 1898. 12:167. (\\hite Sulphur Springs, W. Va.) 

 Russet Irown above, dull white beneath. Total length, 115 (4^); tail ver- 

 tebrae, 51 (2) ; hind foot 9 (f). Cimpiger; Lat., quick) 



The little -known Virginia harvest mouse has been taken at White 



Sulphur Springs W. Va. only. It probably occurs throughout the 



southern part of the upper austral zone, east of the high AUeghanies. 



Genus Oryzomys Baird 



1857 Oryzomys Baird, Mamm. N. Am. p. 458. Type Mus palustris 

 Harlan. 

 Front teeth without grooves; cheek teeth with tubercles arranged in two 

 rows; skull distincily riclged over eye sockets; form slender; total length more 



than 230 (9) ; tail long, scant haired ; belly not white. (Oryzomys; Gk.,riee 

 mouse) 



The genus Oryzomys is widely distributed in the warmer parts of 

 America. Many species are known, only one of which reaches the 

 upper austral zone of the eastern United States. 



Oryzomys palustris (Harlan) Rice field mouse 

 1837 Mus palustris Harlan, American jour. sci. 31 : 386. (Fast island, 



near Salem N. J.) 

 1857 Oryzomys palustris Baird, Mamm. N. Am. p. 459. 



Dark brown above, paler below. Total length, 240 (9^) ; tail vertebrae, 115 

 (4|) ; hind foot, 30 (li|.) (palustris; Lat., pertaining to a marsh) 



The ricefield mouse is locally common in marshes throughout the 



austral zones of the eastern United States, north to New Jersey. The 



form which occurs within our limits is the typical subspecies, 



O- palustris palustris. Two others are found in Florida and a 



fourth in Texas. 



Genus Peromyscus Gloger 



1842 Per om ys c u s Gloger, Gemeinn, Hand-u. hilfsbuch der naturgesch. 



p. 95. Type Peromyscus arboreus Gloger=C ricetus myoides 



Gapper^M us sylvaticus noveboraceusis Fischer. 



Front teeth without grooves, cheek teeth in upper jaw with tubercles arranged 



in two longitudinal rows; skull smoothly rounded between eye sockets ; form slender 



Total length, (in our species) under 220 (8f ) ; tail long, well furred, belly white. 



(Peromyscus; Gk., little pocket mouse) 



The genus Peromyscus, which contains nearly 100 species, is 

 confined to America. It reaches its greatest development in Mexico and 

 the western United Stales. Three species occur within our limits, all 

 members of the subgenus Peromyscus. 



