1885. ] The Habits of some Arvicoline. 117 
have disappeared, one will observe where the meadow mice have 
advanced their passages very near the public thoroughfare, while 
the neighboring pastures and commons show many traces of their 
highways. Their food in winter is the corn found in the thriftless 
farmer’s shocks, together with the seeds of a number of plants 
and the young blades of the blue grass. Their large round nests 
are also constructed of the blades of this and kindred grasses. 
They are built much after the manner of musk-rat houses, a mini- 
ature of which they closely resemble. : 
The single opening is below, where it connects with the run- 
ways of the animal. These nests are found in almost every con- 
ceivable place : in thickets and brier patches among the rank grass 
which grows there, in swampy places upon a tussock of grass, in 
a log or fence corner, under a pile of rubbish and very many on 
the open ground, especially in clover meadows, where the mice 
may prey upon the nests of the humble-bee. 
The meadow mice breed from February to December. A suc- 
cession of favorable or unfavorable circumstances, as the case 
may be, causes either an abundance or scarcity of specimens. 
This mouse has an ingenious and patient method of securing 
the head from a standing stalk of grain. Selecting a stalk which 
gives promise of a large well filled head, the mouse cuts it off as 
high up as it can reach ; owing to the proximity of the surround- 
ing grain the stem will not fall, the butt end drops to the ground 
and another cut is made about four inches up the stalk; the pro- 
cess of cutting off sections of this length is repeated until the 
grain is within reach. Here, after a square meal, the mouse 
leaves a collection of straws about four inches long together with 
a shattered head of grain to puzzle the farmer. 
Arvicola austerus, called by some authorities “prairie meadow 
mouse,” is the rarest of all our mice here. We think Dr. Lang- 
don very properly calls this species the “wood mouse,” on ac- 
count of its attachment for the more open woodland or the grassy 
fields or newly cleared land adjoining such. All the specimens 
taken here have been captured by a cat, hence we are umac- 
quainted with its habits. 
Owing to the fact that all of these species live in summer sur- 
rounded by luxuriant vegetation, much less is known of their 
summer habits than of their life in winter. 
The species with which we are best acquainted occur at times 
eh 3 
