8 



farmers' bulletin 932. 



Of soiiio '28 known forms of this luiinial, T occur north of Mexico, in 

 Texas, Xew Mexico, Arizona, Okhihoma, and southern Kansas and 

 alonu" the Gulf coast from Louisiana to Florida. 



Cotton rats damag'e growing croi)s to some extent, but are es]:)c- 

 cially destructive to grain in shocks. In many of their habits 

 they are similar to meadow mice, and they multiply fully as 

 fast. They chiefly inhabit w^eedy borders and areas covered with 

 old grass, where they are sheltered from enemies. They do not 

 often attack the bark of trees, but, being larger than meadow 

 mice, are capable of destroying much more grain in a short time. 

 They ruin melons and other truck crops and have been a serious 

 pest to date growlers in Arizona. 



Cotton rats are easily poisoned by the same methods recommended 



for destroying meadow 

 mice. 



KANGAROO RATS. 



Fifty-nine known species 

 and races of the kangaroo 

 rat (fig. 4), belonging to 

 three groups, inhabit Xorth 

 America, and 45 of them 

 occur north of Mexico. 

 Tw^o groups^ are widely 

 distributed in the West; 

 they differ in anatomical 

 characters, but are much 

 alike in general appearance 

 and habits. A third group ^ 

 includes three species and 

 one race of very small ani- 

 mals, all of which are 

 rather restricted in range 

 and of slight economic im- 

 portance. Kangaroo rats are gentle, easily tamed, and make sprightly 

 and interesting pets. They live mostly in deserts, sagebrush country, 

 and sandy places and are harmless until pioneer agriculture is pushed 

 into these regions. They feed to some extent on green vegetation, 

 but mainly on seeds. As they do not hibernate, they lay up large 

 stores of Avinter food in their burrow^s. They are gregarious but, 

 being noctural in their activities, are seldom seen by day. 



In the sand-hill and sagebrush country of the West there is much 

 complaint of destruction of pioneer crops by kangaroo rats. The 

 areas first cultivated are usually small, and the animals sometimes 

 destroy an entire crop. AYhere corn is planted they take all the seed, 

 securing not only food for present use, but storing in their caches large 



B3743 



Fig. 3. — Cotton rat (dead) and nest, Pecos Valley, 

 Tex. 



1 Prrodipiis and Dipodomys. 



- Genus Microdipodons. 



