55 ° 
The Ohio Naturalist. 
[Vol. VI, No. 8, 
NOTES ON SOME OHIO MAMMALS. 
James S. Hine. 
A few facts regarding some of the Ohio mammals have been 
brought out in the past year or so. A number of species have 
been added to the state list and some observations recorded on 
well known Ohio forms. 
The Little Brown Bat, Myotis lucifugus, has been taken at 
Sandusky where is appears to be rather common. 
Much has been said about the Cooper Lemming Mouse, 
Synaptomys cooperi, but there does not appear to be a definite 
published record of its occurrence in Ohio. The past summer 
the species has been collected in Franklin and Madison Counties. 
In the former county it was trapped in low grass land and 
appeared to be common, as nearly a dozen specimens were taken. 
In the latter county a female and two young were procured from 
under a log in a low pasture near a stream. 
The Prairie Meadow Mouse has been reported as a member 
of the state fauna but specimens on which this record was 
founded turn out to be the Pine Mouse, Microtus pinetorum 
scalopsoides. It is doubtful if Microtus austerus belongs to our 
fauna, although it has been taken in western Indiana. 
When Brayton wrote his report on Ohio mammals, the Rice- 
field Mouse, Oryzomys palustris, was included on account of a 
very peculiar record made by Dr. Langdon. A Red-tailed Hawk 
was shot near New Philadelphia, and in its stomach were found 
the partially digested remains of what was reported as the Rice- 
field Mouse. Since that time no living specimen has been 
reported from Ohio and Rhoades says the species is not found in 
Pennsylvania. Some years ago two skulls were unearthed at 
Madisonville and sent to Washington for determination. Dr. 
Elliot Coues pronounced them to be the skulls of the mouse in 
question. A year or two ago Prof. W. C. Mills collected a num- 
ber of skeletons which he unearthed in Ross County, and which 
prove to be of this same species. Prof. Mills says large numbers 
of the skeletons were seen and not taken for the reason that he 
considered them of no special interest, since evidence showed 
that the animals had crawled into the pits and died there, and as 
he was studying the food animals of the Aborigines these did not 
appeal to him. Where the hawk mentioned above got the 
specimen it had in its stomach is a question. Although one 
would naturally suppose it to be an Ohio specimen we have no 
way of proving it. We are certain of one thing, however, and 
that is the Rice-field Mouse once occuri'ed in numbers over 
certain parts of Ohio, and the questions that naturally arise are. 
Is the species a member of our fauna at present, or has it become 
