514 



REPORT OF STATE GEOLOGIST. 



Habits. — As mentioned above, this species lives underground 

 most of the time. Unlike all of the other voles which live almost 

 exclusively in the grass, this one is more abundant in the woods, 

 although found in fields also. Since it lives under ground and is 

 not dependent on the overhanging grass for its protection, it is 

 found in cultivated fields, gardens, orchards, lawns and meadows. 

 In such places it rarely comes to the surface and is difficult to 

 trap, because it closes up an opening made into its burrow in- 

 stead of coming out to get the bait placed for it. 



The tunnels which it makes, like those of the mole, are marked 

 by lines of upheaved earth. How it makes them I do not know, 

 for it has neither the powerful, shovel-like feet nor the pointed 

 nose which so admirably fit the mole for its work. No doubt it 

 sometimes uses tunnels already made by the moles or by the short 

 tailed shrews. However, if it uses the runways of the shrews it 

 does so at the risk of its life, for these fierce little animals run 

 down and kill the mice and devour them greedily. 



The mice get even with the order Insectivora, in a measure, by 

 doing immeasurable mischief for which the moles and shrews get 

 the blame. The latter animals are chiefly insectivorous and do 

 good by eating cut-worms, grubs, l)eetles, flies or any other insects 

 they can get. On the other hand the mice eat roots, bulbs, seeds 

 and bark and are sometimes a serious pest on the farm ; but the 

 moles get the blame for eating newly planted corn and garden veg- 

 etables which they have not touched. 



Young orchards are often badly damaged by these mice, which 

 not only cut or peel the slender roots of the trees, but also strip 

 the bark from the bases of the trunks. I know of a young orchard 

 in which the trees were protected in winter by a heap of coarse 

 manure and stalks about the base. When it was removed in the 

 spring half of the trees were partially or wholly girdled and many 

 of them died. The farmer attributed this to the ferments in the 

 manure, but this was so coarse that I am sure it did no harm, and 

 firmly believe the mice had been working on the trees, their tooth 

 marks being so fine that they were overlooked. It is known cer- 

 tainly that this species has been gnilty of similar work elsewhere. 



Aside from cnll i valcd planis, llie inicc^ of this subgenus live 

 principally on r-ools. Hntlci- and (^nick found them storing up 

 the tubei-ons roots of the wild violet in underground heaps of a 

 gallon or nioi-c. hike the other voles, they are also fond of the 

 stems and leaves oi" tender ^reen i)lants. Where their tunnels are 



