* 
216 Frerp Museum or Naturat History — Zoéxoey, Vor. XI. 
bottom. In summer its food mainly consists of the roots of grass and 
weeds. Lantz states (J. c., p. 17) that it is very fond of the roots of 
the wild, white morning-glory (Convolvulus sepium). In fall and winter 
it eats seeds, grain and the bark of trees, and it often does considerable 
injury to fruit orchards. I have often seen them sit up on their haunches 
and eat their food, holding it in their fore paws after the manner of a 
Squirrel. They do not hibernate in winter but pass most of their time 
in runways beneath the snow, and it is claimed they store up more or 
less food for use during the cold weather. 
Lantz says, ‘‘The habit of storing food seems to be less common in 
this country than with Old World species, but it is far from rare. Caches 
of food are often found, which show that in times of abundance the 
animals store away more than is needed for immediate use.” (I. ¢., 
p. 14.) 
Dr. C. Hart Merriam in describing the habits of this species says:* 
“Tn the beginning of winter, when the ground is frozen for some distance 
below the surface, it abandons its burrows and lives entirely above 
‘ground. Its nests of dry grass then lie flat upon the surface, without 
attempt at concealment, and are soon buried in the snow. As winter 
advances and the snow becomes deeper, the Meadow Mice regularly 
betake themselves to their nests for rest. The heat from their bodies 
soon melts the snow in contact with and immediately adjoining the 
nests, which, from the continued operation of the same cause, come to 
be surrounded by slowly-growing, dome-shaped chambers. These in- 
.crease in size until the spring thaws, in March and April, melt away 
their roofs, thus admitting the light and cold. They are then deserted. 
During snow-shoe tramps over fields at this season I have often noticed 
holes, from a few inches to a foot in diameter, appearing as if sharply 
cut in the surface. On inspection, they invariably proved to be the 
summits of these dome-shaped cavities, and a nest was always found 
at the bottom of each, surrounded by a zone of bare ground. They 
ranged from one to two feet (approximately 300 to 600 mm.) in diam- 
eter, and most of them were two feet in height. From the bottom of 
each chamber numerous runways and burrows penetrated the snow in 
all directions. Some followed along directly upon the ground, while 
others sloped upward at various angles. Many ran horizontally at 
varying levels, resting upon the dense strata that indicated the surface 
lines at different times during the winter. Near each nest was one or 
more burrows that reached the surface and contained considerable 
accumulations of the animal dejections. These seemed to be watch 
holes where the Mice came regularly to look at the prospect outside.” 
*Mamm. Adirondack Reg., 1886, p. 272. 
