THE FIELD MOUSE 



227 



through a century of misnaming in Latin, its original En- 

 gUsh name, Meadow Mouse, has stood unchanged! 



The trouble with this genus seems to have been due to 

 exaggerating the importance of trivial characters, molar teeth 



FIELD MOUSE. 



and claws. Externally its species and varieties are so much 

 alike that very few of them can be distinguished from the 

 general mass. 



The typical Field Mouse is a short-eared, short-tailed, 

 thick-set little animal. It averages 4J^ inches long, with a 

 tail 1}4 inches long. Its color above is reddish brown, while 

 beneath it is whitish gray. 



It is found from the Atlantic coast to the Dakotas, feed- 

 ing on roots and grasses. 



