230 
TEXAN MEADOW-MOUSE. 
at the insertion of the tail ; the remainder of the back between these 
stripes is somewhat irregularly, and very slightly, waved or barred as it 
were, with dark brown spots on a yellowish ground ; head, yellowish- 
bi own ; sides of the neck, and along the flanks to the hip, brownish-yellow. 
A narrow line of yellowish-white extends under the chin and on the belly ; 
tail, brown above, grayish-white beneath ; ears, brownish yellow ; whiskers, 
white, with a few brown hairs interspersed. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Inches Lines. 
Prom point of nose to root of tail, - ... 4 7 
“ to ear, 4 3 
“ to eye, 6 
Length of tail, 4 
From heel to point of longest claw, - - - - 1 3 
HABITS. 
This is an active and rather pugnacious little rat. It is sometimes to 
be seen near the edges of the chaparals, in which it makes its nest. It 
mostly feeds on seeds of wild grains and grasses, although it has recently 
shown a disposition to frequent the farm-yards of our enterprising Texan 
settlers. Like the Arvicolae generally, this animal is a good swimmer, and 
takes the water when the rains flood the flat plains, which it has pleased 
the Texans to denominate “ hog-wallow prairies.” In the spring season 
this rat devours a good many eggs of such small birds as make their nests 
on the ground or in the rank grass and weeds, and it does not hesitate to 
eat any dead bird or small animal it may find. 
Not being very numerous, it is difficult to procure it, and as setting traps 
for small animals, baited with meat, in the chaparal, has been found almost 
useless owing to larger quadrupeds than those intended to be caught seizing 
the flesh, and breaking the trap to pieces, or (as is often the case) devouring 
the small ones that may have been already entrapped, there is no proba- 
bility that this or other small species which inhabit Texas and the neigh- 
bouring countries will become familiar objects in our collections of mam- 
malia for some time to come. We have therefore placed our specimens of 
this rat in the museum of the Charleston College at Charleston, South 
Carolina, where may also be found the skins of some other animals first 
described in our work, and of which specimens, so far as we have heard, 
have not been procured by others. 
