92 
ORDERS OF MAMMALS— GNAWING ANIMALS 
tractive of all our native rats. In the dry and 
sterile regions of the great Southwest, from the 
Indian Territory to Arizona and California, 
where seemingly the deserts produce nothing 
but sand, cacti, yuccas and sage-brush, these 
pert little creatures hold forth. Apparently 
they are both fire-proof and water-proof, for no 
amount of heat affects them, and the absence 
of water does not seem to depress their spirits in 
the least. Like most mice and rats, they are 
nocturnal. Some of the species build for them- 
selves large mounds of dirt and gravel, from 
one to three feet high and five to ten feet in 
diameter, which are honeycombed with burrows 
1. AND 2, KANGAROO RAT. 
3. TYPICAL POCKET MOUSE. 
and runways. These dwellings are often in- 
habited by rattlesnakes and lizards, and doubt- 
less the Kangaroo Rat is an important item of 
food in the diet of the desert rattler. 
The Kangaroo Rat is very unlike the mem- 
bers of the Mouse-and-Rat Family; and in tem- 
per no creature could be more unlike the domes- 
tic rat. Unlike most mice and rats, they do not 
bite when handled, but they are so delicate that 
they do not live long in captivity, unless tended 
with extreme care and intelligence. They stand 
high on their hind legs, like pigmy kangaroos, 
and hop about with their front paws tucked up 
close under the chin, almost hidden by their fur. 
The tail is very long, has a showy tuft of long 
hair on the end, and is used by the animal in 
balancing itself when in motion. The fur is 
soft, silky, rather long, and of a tawny-brown 
color above. Length of head and body, 41 inches, 
tail, 5f inches. The cheek-pouches are large, 
and are of great use in carrying sand out of bur- 
rows. 
JUMPING MOUSE FAMILY. 
Zapodidae. 
The Jumping Mouse 1 is one of the most 
remarkable of all our small animals. In form it 
is a slender-bodied mouse, with a?i exceedingly long 
tail, kangaroo-like hind legs, and cheek-pouches. 
Its average length of head and body is about 
3 inches, and tail 5 inches. In color it is dark 
reddish-brown above, white underneath, with 
smooth compact hair. Although no larger than a 
house mouse, it can jump from eight to ten feet. 
When a farmer boy is hauling in sheaves of 
wheat, and a small animal suddenly makes a 
tremendous flying leap from the bottom of the 
shock, he may know that he has disturbed a 
Jumping Mouse, and the chances are that he 
cannot capture it by hand. In these long jumps. 
— perhaps the longest on record for an animal of 
equal size— the tail is as necessary as a stick is to 
a sky-rocket, to enable the little creature to pre- 
serve its balance, and go straight ahead. If the 
tail is cut off, the Jumping Mouse turns over and 
over in the air, and perhaps lands upon its back. 
The Jumping Mouse is quite nocturnal in its 
habits, and is seldom seen in the daytime. It 
feeds on seeds and grain, and while it devours 
great quantities of weed seeds, it inflicts upon 
the farmer no damage worthy of mention. In 
the autumn it stores in the ground quantities 
of food for winter use, but despite this fact, under 
certain conditions it becomes so thoroughly dor- 
mant in winter that it seems to be quite lifeless. 
It is found throughout the northern United States 
and Canada, in wooded regions, from New York 
to California, and as far north as Lake Nushagak, 
Alaska. 
Opinions Regarding Rats and Rat-like 
Animals. 
The largest rat-like animal in America is the 
Coy'pu Rat, 2 of Central and South America, 
which stands 9 inches high at the shoulders, at- 
tains a length of 19 inches head and body, tail, 
1 Zapus hudsonius. * My-o-cas'-tor coy' pus. 
