LADDER 421 



Family of Rats and Mice 

 Muridae 



(Neai-ly Two Hundred North Americfin Species) 



Clumsy, thickly furred body ; small ears; short tail; small 

 feet with furry soles. 



White Lemming ... ... Dicrostonyx torquatus. 



Length of body, 5 inches ; tail, 1 inch. 



Heavy animal, head set close to shoulders. Pore limbs 

 with four toes and a small thumb ; long claws for scratching 

 and digging ; five webbed toes on hind feet ; compact scaly 

 tail; soft under-fur with stiff hairs overlying it. Animal 

 secretes a musky odor, from which it takes its name. 



Muskrat Fiber zibethicus. 



Length of body, llj inches ; tail, 11 inches. 



Rats and mice — vermin. Large ears ; bright eyes ; long, 

 naked tails ; no cheek pouches ; fur soft. Mostly vegetable 

 feeders, but some eat insects and occasionally other animal 

 food. 



Field Mouse Microtus- pennsylvanicus. 



Length of body, 4| inclies ; tail, 1 J inches. 



Deer or White-footed Mouse . . . Peromyscus leucopus. 



Length of body, 3J inches ; tail, ',\\ inches. 



Cotton Rat . . Sigmodon hispidus. 



Length of body, 6 inches ; tail, 4 inches. 



Wood or Pack Rat . . ... Neotoma floridana. 



Length of body, 8 inches ; tail, 5' inches. 



Marsh Rat ... . Oryzomys palustris. 



Length of body, inches; tail, Z\ inches. 



Gopher Family 

 Geomyidee 



(Nlitnber of North American Species, Twenty to Tlni-ty) 



Burrowing animals, having large cheek pockets that open 

 outside • wide cutting teeth ; small eyes and ears ; short legs. 



