Identifier: natureneighborse05bant (
find matches)Title:
www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/tags/book...Year:
1914 (
1910s)Authors:
Banta, Nathaniel Moore, 1867- Schneider, Albert, 1863- Higley, William Kerr, 1860-1908 Abbott, Gerard AlanSubjects:
Natural historyPublisher:
Chicago, American Audobon associationContributing Library:
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignDigitizing Sponsor:
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignView Book Page:
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view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.Text Appearing Before Image:e a vast assemblage crossed the Mississippi. Whilethese migrations are obviously caused by a scarcity of food,it probably is not the only motive which induces them toundertake long journeys. The Southern fox squirrel inhabits the Southern Statesfrom North Carolina to Texas. It is the largest and finestof our North American squirrels. Its color is oftenest grayabove and white below, but it is also found of all shades offulvous, and sometimes a deep, shining black; its ears andnose are always white. The Western fox squirrel occurs inthe Mississippi Valley; its color is a rusty gray, and its earsand nose are never white. Squirrels feed in the early morning, and disappear fromeight to nine oclock, remaining in their holes during themid-day hours. They appear again in the late afternoonto feed. THE POCKET OR KANGAROO RAT* Rats and mice seem to enjoy living in localities that arefrequented by but few other animals. They are also adeptsat seeking food supplies, and travel long distances whenText Appearing After Image:A GROUP OF RODENTS 127 hunger demands and a sufficient supply of food is not athand. The Pocket Rats are no exception to this rule,and some of the species live in those dry, arid regionswhere but little vegetation grows, aside from a few speciesof cactus. The marked characteristic that gives these little animalstheir name is the pockets or cheek pouches. These areexternal openings outside of the mouth and are lined witha furry skin. They are ample in size and the two willhold, in some instances, a heaping tablespoonful of grain.The filling is done so rapidlj that, where a hard grain likewheat is used, a continuous ratthng soxmd is made. Theejecting of the grain from the pockets is aided by a for-ward, squeezing motion of the fore feet, each foot makingtwo or three quick forward passes. When obtainable, theirnatural food consists of various plant seeds, but when inthe neighborhood of cultivated fields and the vicinitj^ ofhouses, they feed also upon grain and the vegetable wastefrom camNote About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.