136.] 2. A r v i c o l a x a n t h o g n a t h u s . (Leach.) Yellow-cheeked,
Meadow-Mouse.
A. xanthognathus. Leach. Zool. M i s c vol. i. p. 60. t. xxvi.
A. (,xanthognathus) badio nigroque varius (nec tamen maculosus) ventre argenteo-cinereo, moZis /wZow, pedibus
fuscescentibus subtus albidis.
Yellow-cheeked Meadow-Mouse, with a brown and black dorsal aspect, silvery-gray belly, dull orange-coloured
cheeks, and brown feet.
D E S C R I P T IO N .
Teeth corresponding in number with the rest of the genus. Incisors, pale-yellow, exte*
i-iorly. Lower ones longer, paler, and nearly round. Upper ones shorter, stronger, slightly-
rounded, with even cutting edges. Of the upper molar teeth the posterior one is the largest*
and has three grooves on its sides. The two anterior ones have two grooves each, makings
in all, ten ribs or projecting angles, in the upper molar teeth of each side. Of the lower molars,,
the anterior one is the largest, and has four grooves : the other two have two each, forming, in
ajl, eleven ribs, which correspond to the angles of so many triangles on the grinding surfaces*
Form.—The body is nearly cylindrical, of the size of. the water-rat, legs short, nose rather
obtuse, its tip on a line with the incisors. Ears, nearly circular, rather large when compared with
those of other meadow-mice, sparingly hairy within, well covered exteriorly with fur of the saniè
colour with the rest of thé superior parts. Whiskers, about the length of the head. T a i\
shorter than the head, tapering, well covered with hairs, lying smoothly and coming to a point
at the end'. Extremities—legs, covëred with short hairs, lying closely and smoothly. The
fore-feet have naked palms, and four toes, with a callus protected by a very minuté
nail, in place of a thumb ; the first toe is a little shorter than the third j the second, thè
longest, and the fourth the shortest. The toes are well covered with smooth hair above, and
are naked below. The hair of the wrist projects a little over the palms. The claws are small*.
The hind-feet have five toes, of which the three middle ones are nearly equal in length j the
outer one is considerably shorter, and the inner one is the furthest back and the shortest.
The posterior half of the sole is covered with hairs, which curve inwards. The soles of the
hind-feet are narrower and longer than the palms of the fore-ones. Fur, soft and fine ; about
four lines and a half long on the head, and nine on the posterior part of the back.
Colours. The colour of the fur, -from the roots to near the tips, is shining grayish-black.
On the dorsal aspect of the head and body, the tips of the hairs are yellowish-brown' or black,
the black-pointed hairs being the longest. The colour resulting is a mixture of dark-brown
and black, without spots, and appearing of different shades when moved in the light. The
sides are a little paler than the back. Thé under parts are of a silvery bluish-gray, darkening
into blackish-gray on two large patches anterior to the shoulders. There is a blackish-brown
stripe along the centre of the nose. On each side of it there is a reddish-brown patch, which
extends from the mouth to the orbit. Whiskers black. Tail brownish-black above, whitish
beneath. Extremities, dark-brown, exteriorly; whitish, interiorly.
Length, of head and body . from
,, head . . .
.:,y tail . . . .
. . „ ears (breadth or height)
. D im e n s io n s .
In ch e s. Line s. ' In c h e s. L in e s ,
to 8 0 £ Length of middle fore-toe and claw . 0 3
. 1 10 „ „ hind-toe and claw . 0 3£
1 6 ,,, hind-foot from heel to point of the
. 0 7 claw of middle toe . .. . . . 0 10
This species makes long canals under the mossy turf on the dry banks of lakes
and rivers, and also in woods, but does not burrow deep into the earth. It is
plentiful in some quarters, but shews no disposition to enter the houses of the
traders, and domesticate itself, like the following species. It is common in the
immediate vicinity of Fort Franklin; and Mr. Drummond found it in abundance on
the Rocky Mountains in latitude 56°, in places where the woods had been destroyed
by fire. It has about seven young at a birth. It was first described by Dr. Leach;
and an indifferent figure, half the natural size of a specimen, which he obtained
from Hudson’s Bay, was published in the Zoological Miscellany. Mr. Say, in the
narrative of Long’s expedition, mentions a Meadow-Mouse, which he terms the
Arvicola xanthognathus, as an inhabitant of the banks of the Ohio, but gives no
description; and Godman, who speaks of an animal under the same name, as
common in the United States, and doing great injury to the banks, alludes to its
diminutive size, and evidently refers to some other species. The description
quoted by Mr. Sabine, in Franklin’s Journey, under the title of Arvicola xantho-
gnatha, does not belong to this animal, but to a much smaller species, which I have
referred to the Arvicola Pennsylvanicus of O r d , in the following article.