SMALLER MAMMALS OF NORTH AMERICA 



493 



breast and are carried during her swift flights 

 in pursuit of insect prey. 



Often when camping at desert waterholes, I 

 have seen them come in just before dark to 

 drink, scooping up water from the surface 

 while in flight, and then circling back and forth 

 over the damp ground at an elevation of a few 

 yards for the capture of some of the insects 

 common in such places. At such times, with 

 the distant hills mantled with a deepening 

 purple haze and the pulsating heat of the day 

 replaced by the milder temperature of approach- 

 ing night, these bats could often be seen sharply 

 outlined against the rich orange afterglow of 

 the departed sun. Here and there in the still 

 air flickered and zigzagged multitudes of tiny 

 bats, like black butterflies, and among them the 

 occasional big-eared bats on broad wings ap- 

 peared huge in contrast. Their wing strokes 

 were slower and shorter than those of the 

 smaller species and impelled them forward in 

 a swift, gliding movement which gave their 

 evolutions a sweeping grace beautiful to see. 



In August several years ago, during a visit 

 to the Indian School at Tuba, in the Painted 

 Desert of northern Arizona, I found these bats 

 living in considerable numbers about the build- 



ings. Just before dark they swarmed out and 

 hunted about the surrounding orchards and 

 small fields. One evening my collector shot 

 at one as it circled over a potato field in a small 

 orchard. It continued its flight, circling low 

 among the apple trees as though unhurt, when 

 suddenly it dropped to the ground. Supposing 

 the bat to be wounded, it was cautiously ap- 

 proached and covered with a hat, when, with- 

 out a struggle, it permitted itself to be picked 

 up by the nape. It then became evident that 

 the bat was unhurt from the shot. The reason 

 for its sudden descent was revealed in the per- 

 son of a large, fat mole cricket (Stenopalmatus 

 fuscus) which it was holding firmly in its jaws, 

 and so ferociously intent was it in biting and 

 worrying its luscious prey that it paid not the 

 slightest attention to its captor. Finally it was 

 killed by having its chest compressed and died 

 with its bull-dog grip on its prey unbroken. 



These bats, like the other members of the 

 tribe in the United States, are fully as bene- 

 ficial to the farmer as the best of our insect- 

 eating birds and deserve equal protection in 

 place of the general persecution from which 

 they now suffer. 



INDEX TO SMALLER MAMMALS OF NORTH AMERICA 



TEXT AND ILLUSTRATION PAGES 



Text 



Armadillo, Nine-banded 480 



Bat, Big-eared desert 492 



Bat, Hoarv 491 



Bat, Mexican 491 



Bat, Red 489 



Beaver, Mountain 427 



Cat, Common 



Cat, Ringed-tailed 482 



Chipmunk, Antelope 443 



Chipmunk, Eastern 447 



Chipmunk, Golden 443 



Chipmunk, Oregon 450 



Chipmunk, Painted 451 



Conv, Little chief hare, or 



Pika 392 



Ferret, Black-footed 469 



Gopher, rocket 398 



Hare, Arctic 389 



Hare. Little chief, Cony, or 



Pika * 392 



Hare, Varying, or Snowshoe 



rabbit 387 



Kangaroo rat 400 



Lemming, Banded 401 



Lemming, Brown 402 



Marmot, American, or Com- 

 mon woodchuck 431 



Marmot, Hoary, or Whistler 434 



Marten, or American sable. 473 



Mink, American 472 



Mole, Oregon 484 



Mole, Star-nosed 485 



Mouse, Beach 422 



Mouse, Big-eared rock 423 



Mouse, Field or Meadow. . . . 403 



Mouse, Grasshopper 418 



Mouse, Harvest 415 



Mouse, House 427 



Mouse, Jumping 394 



Mouse, Pine 406 



Mouse, Red-backed 407 



Mouse, Rufous tree 410 



Color 



Track 



illus- 



illus- 



tration 



tration 



457 





465 





464 





465 





464 





432 







385 



460 





437 





440 



477 



440 





441 





441 





409 





449 





413 





408 





409 





405 



388 



416 





417 





417 





432 



475 



433 





453 





453 



482, 483 



461 





461 





428 





429 





420 



393 



425 



468 



425 





429 





412 





420 





421 





421 





Color 

 illus- 



Text tration 



Mouse, Silky pocket 395 413 



Mouse, Spiny pocket 396 413 



Mouse, White-footed 419 428 



Muskrat 411 424 



Nature's wild folk 



Pika, Little chief hare, or 



Cony 392 409 



Polecat, Spilogale, or Little 



skunk ... 



Porcupine 393 412 



Prairie-dog 434 436 



Rabbit, Antelope jack . . 384 404 



Rabbit, California jack 385 405 



Rabbit, Cottontail 390 408 



Rabbit, Marsh 391 409 



Rabbit, Snowshoe or Vary- 

 ing hare 387 405 



Rat, Brown 423 429 



Rat, Kangaroo 400 416 



Sable, American, or Marten. 473 453 



Shrew, Common 486 464 



Shrew, Short-tailed 487 464 



Skunk, Common 477 456 



Skunk, Hog-nosed 479 457 



Skunk, Little spotted 474 456 



Squirrel, Abert 462 448 



Squirrel, California ground. 439 437 



Squirrel, Douglas 455 444 



Squirrel, Flying 466 449 



Squirrel, Fox 459 445 



Squirrel, Grav 458 445 



Squirrel, Kaibab 462 448 



Squirrel, Red 454 444 



Squirrel, Rusty fox 459 445 



Squirrel, Striped ground. . . . 438 436 



Stoat, or Large weasel 469 452 



Weasel, Large, or Stoat. . . . 469 452 



Weasel, Least 471 452 



Whistler, or Hoary marmot. 434 433 

 Woodchuck, Common, or 



American marmot 431 432 



Woodrat 414 424 



Track 

 illus- 

 tration 



470 

 467 

 383 



488 



386 

 386 

 390 



3S8 

 472 



490 



487 



48S 



47S, 479 



478 



481 



475 



