WILD RATS AND MICE 



89 



habiting the wet rice-fields and swamps of the 

 tiiilf states from Texas up to southern New 

 Jersey, its northern hmit. It has a long head, a 

 sharp nose, a shapely body, prominent ears, and 

 a long tail. Its color above is bleached brown, 

 but its under surface is grayish, or dull white. 



This mouse is partial to the vicinity of water, 

 especially the banks of rice-fields. It swims and 

 dives well, and sometimes builds its nest and 

 rears its young in interlaced marsh grass, over 

 water, and far from dry ground. 



The Cotton Rat, or Marsh Rat,' is a species 



homa. New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico; and 

 wherever found their destructiveness causes 

 them to be cordially disUked. 

 The White-Footed Mouse, or Deer Mouse,- 



is well worthy of acciuaintance. It is distributed 

 over nearly the whole of upper North America, ex- 

 cept the arctic islands, and the Barren CJrounds. 

 On account of the changes it has ulidergone, 

 chiefly in color shades, and length of tail, natural- 

 ists now recognize in the United States and Can- 

 ada about seventy species and subspecies ! But 

 the student need not be discouraged by this fact. 



RICE-FIELD MOUSE. 



COTTON HAT. 



which any country may well be without. It is 

 small for a rat, but courageous, vicious in tem- 

 per and voracious in appetite. It is fond of 

 flesh, and when several are caged together, the 

 stronger ones do not scruple to kill and eat weaker 

 rats of their own kind. In length it is the size of 

 a large chipmunk, 6-1-4 inches. The upper 

 surface of the body and head, and outside of the 

 legs, are dark mottled yellowish-brown, the under 

 surface and inside of legs dull white, or brownish- 

 gray. Cotton Rats are found from North Caro- 

 lina to southern Florida, and also in Texas, Okla- 

 ' Sigmodon hispidus. 



Every White-Footed Mouse can be recognized 

 by the clean white or light gray color on the under 

 half of its body, head, tail and inner surfaces of 

 the legs, its white feet, and its long tail. The color 

 of the back is usually gray, or brown, or a mixt- 

 ure of the two. 



Of all the small mice of North America, I con- 

 sider this the most beautiful, and one of the most 

 interesting. In the eastern states, where small 

 quadrupeds and birds are numerous, it attracts 

 little attention, but on the western plains, and 

 in the desert regions, where animal life is very 

 ^ Pcromyscus leucopus. 



