92 



OliDERS OF :iIA:\DrALS— GNAWING ANIMALS 



tracth-c of all our native rats. In the dry and 

 sterile regions of the great Southwest, from the 

 Indian Territory to Arizona and California, 

 where seemingly the deserts produce nothing 

 but sand, cacti, yuccas and sage-brush, these 

 pert little creatures hold forth. Apparently 

 they are both fire-proof and water-proof, for no 

 amount of heat affects them, and the absence 

 of water does not seem to depress their spirits in 

 the least. Like most mice and rats, they are 

 nocturnal. Some of the species build for them- 

 selves large mounds of dirt and gravel, from 

 one to three feet high and five to ten feet in 

 diameter, which are honeycombed with burrows 



^ei?f:u3<'irni_ 



1. AND 2, KANC..\ROO RAT. 

 3. TYPICAL POCKET MOUSE. 



and runways. These dwellings are often in- 

 habited by rattlesnakes and lizards, and doubt- 

 less the Kangaroo Rat is an important item of 

 food in the diet of the desert rattlei-. 



The Kangaroo Rat is very unlike the mem- 

 bers of the Mouse-and-Rat Family; and in tem- 

 per no creature could be more unlike the domes- 

 tic rat. Unlike most mice and rats, they do not 

 l)itc when handled, but they are so delicate that 

 thev do not live long in captivity, unless tended 

 with extreme care and intelligence. They stand 

 high on their hind legs, hke pigmy kangaroos, 

 and hop about with their front paws tucked up 

 close under the (thin, almost hidden by their fur. 

 The tail is very long, has a showy tuft of long 

 hair on the end, and is used by the animal in 



balancing it.self when in motion. The fur is 

 soft, silky, rather long, and of a tawny-brown 

 color above. Length of head and body, 4^ inches, 

 tail, 5-J inches. The cheek-pouches are large, 

 and are of great use in carrying sand out of bur- 

 rows. 



JUMPING MOUSE FAMILY, 

 Znpodidac. 

 The Jumping Mouse^ is one of the most 

 remarkable of all our small animals.' In form it 

 is a slender-bodied mouse, with an exceedingly long 

 tail, kangaroo-like hind legs, and cheek-pouches. 

 Its average length of head and body is about 

 3 inches, and tail 5 inches. In color it is dark 

 reddish-brown above, white underneath, with 

 smooth compact hair. Although no larger than a, 

 house mouse, it can jump from eight to ten feet. 

 When a farmer boy is hauling in sheaves of 

 wheat, and a small animal suddenly makes a 

 tremendous flying leap from the bottom of the 

 shock, he may know that he has disturbed a 

 Jumping Mouse, and the chances are that he 

 cannot capture it by hand. In these long jumps 

 — ^perhaps the longest on record for an animal of 

 e(|ual size — the tail is as necessary as a stick is to 

 a sky-rocket, to enable the little creature to pre- 

 serve its balance, and go straight ahead. If the 

 tail is cut off, the .lumping Mouse turns over and 

 over in the air, and jjerhaps lands upon its back. 

 The .Jumping Mouse is quite nocturnal in its 

 habits, and is seldom seen in the daytime. It 

 feeds on seeds and grain, and while it devours 

 great cjuantities of weed seeds, it inflicts upon 

 the farmer no damage worthy of mention. In 

 the autumn it stores in the ground quantities 

 of food for winter use, but despite this fact, under 

 certain conditions it becomes so thoroughly dor- 

 mant in winter that it seems to be quite lifeless. 

 It is found throughout the northern LTniteil States 

 and Canada, in wooded regions, from New York 

 to California, and as far north as Lake Nushagak, 

 Alaska. 



Opinions Regarding Rats and Rat-like 

 Animals. 



The largest rat-like animal in America is the 

 Coy'pu Rat,~ of Central and South America, 

 which stands 9 inches high at the shoulders, at- 

 tains a length of 19 indies head and bod}', tail, 



' Zapns Imdsonius. " Mij-o-cas'-lnr coii'jnts. 



