Feb., 1910.] 
Ohio Species of Mice. 
67 
this true of the dorsal area. Miller says that “their food appears 
to consist, like that of the other outdoor mice, largely of grass 
seeds, undoubtedly varied at times by the addition of berries 
and mushrooms and probably insects.” When one comes upon 
them in the field they attempt to get out of the way by leaping 
although are not always able to direct their jumps in such a way 
as to make them beneficial for after making a dozen leaps a 
specimen may be very close to the starting point. At other 
times they bound away in the opposite direction from danger 
and are able to hide themselves very quickly and very securely. 
The winter is spent in a dormant condition beneath the ground. 
Although some observers have reported seeing specimens during 
mild weather of winter, others claim that often six months or 
more of the year is spent in the hibernating condition, making 
the observation that specimens plowed out in May in one case 
were still in a dormant state. 
I have not seen any statement to the effect that these animals 
are injurious in any way, neither have I observed that they have 
any habits which would lead one to think that they have eco- 
nomic value. I consider them worthy of the sympathy of 
mankind, however, because of their unusual habits which are 
so different from other mammals in the region which they 
inhabit. They have numerous enemies among birds of prey and 
they do not appear to be very well prepared to evade cats and 
some other mammals that feed on the same kind of food. 
Microtis pennsylvanicus (Ord). Meadow mouse. In his paper 
on An Economic Study of Field Mice, Lantz places this species 
at the head of the list. I am not sure of his reason for this or 
whether he intends by so doing to convey to his readers that it 
is of more importance from an economic standpoint than its 
relatives of the same genus, but as it is the most common short 
tailed mouse in Ohio we do not hesitate to accuse it of doing 
more damage along certain lines than any other rodent that 
shares with it the name which only has to be mentioned in order 
to designate its bearer as an enemy. The species may be 
known from other short tailed mice of the state by several 
characters. In the first place the tail is near two inches in 
length while in other short tailed mice the tail is less than an 
inch in length. Full grown specimens are larger and the color 
differs from others. Different specimens of the species vary in 
color more or less however, so this alone is not to be depended 
upon as a conclusive guide. 
When a field grows up to June grass in the after part of the 
season and when winter comes this grass falls over and forms a 
carpet for the ground an ideal condition for meadow mice is 
produced. Here the mice form runways among the grass above 
the surface and in the ground beneath the surface so that they 
