ZAPUS MUDSONIUS. 29 1 



sloping liill-side meets tlic marsh, another miniature thicket bars 

 the \v3.y. Like the first, it is lar^-eh' made up of the touofh Cas- 

 saiidra, whicli here intertwines with Labrador tea {Ledum latifoli- 

 lO)!^, sheep laurel {Kainiia aiio^ustifolid), and winterberry {Ilex 

 IcBvigata). The beautiful Azalea and the woolly steeple bush 

 {^Sph'cea lotnculosa^ are also usuall}' present, while several species 

 of Vibiirnuiu and Coriius contribute their share to the prominent 

 features of the local flora. 



While silently seated in the midst of these surroundinos. I have 

 on more than one occasion observed the Jumping Mouse. Some- 

 times he has crept quietly over the bog, winding his wa)- amongst 

 the pitcher plants and low clunn)s of matted bushes, presenting 

 much the appearance of the white-footed mouse. At other times lie 

 has ])()unded lightly b)-, clearing the tops of the bushes witli every 

 leap, and disappearing so (piickl)- tliat his identit)' was witli ditti- 

 cultv determined. Indeed, when he hides after the first or second 

 leap he is not rarel)' mistaken for the wood frog {Rana iewpo)'aria 

 sylvaticd), which he resembles in color. 



The agility of these animals is almost incredible. I ha\e re- 

 peatedly known them to clear a distance of more than ten feet (a 

 trifle over 3 metres) at a single bound, and tlieir leaps are made 

 in such rapid succession that their feet seem barely to touch the 

 ground. To attempt to catch one when any covert is near is a 

 hopeless task. 



The lumping Mouse is said, b)' most writers, to be stricth' noc- 

 turnal, but this is not the case. It is crepuscular, like the ma- 

 jority of our mammalia, and is also not infrequently seen abroad 

 by day. 



It nests in a varietv of situations : sometimes in hollow stLuuiJS 

 and trees, which it is said to climb from the inside ; more often 

 under logs and rails, and in piles of rubbish ; frequently in crevi- 

 ces of rocky ledges ; and occasionall)- in open fields, a short dis- 

 tance under the surface. 



