Fres., 1912. MAmMALS OF ILLINOIS AND WISCONSIN — Cory. 223 
Mole Mouse (Microtus pinetorum scalopsoides). 
Type locality — Long Island, New York. 
Distribution — From southern New York to North Carolina on the 
Atlantic coast and to northern Georgia in the interior, west through 
part of Kentucky and the greater portion of Indiana and Illinois 
to the Mississippi River. 
Special characters — Total length less than 5.50 inches; tail short, less 
than one inch long; ears small; fur soft, suggesting that of a Mole; 
claws on front feet longest. 
Description — Upper parts dark chestnut brown, paling slightly on 
sides; under parts plumbeous gray, more or less tinged with buff; 
tail brown above, paler beneath; feet light brown. 
Measurements — Total length, 4.90 in. (125 mm.); tail vertebra, .88 
in. (22 mm.); hind foot, .67 in. (17 mm.). 
The Mole Mouse or Mole-like Vole is an inhabitant of the woods, but. 
it also frequents adjacent overgrown fields. It constructs underground 
tunnels just beneath the surface, which are marked by ridges of loose 
soil, resembling those made by a Mole but smaller. The nest is gen- 
erally built on the ground under old logs or piles of brush, although it 
is sometimes in a burrow which is deeper than the runways. The 
young are usually 3 or 4 and several litters are born in a season. The 
food consists principally of roots, both of wild and cultivated plants, 
