<h2 id="c18">THE POCKET RATS.</h2>
<p>Rats and mice seem to enjoy living in
localities that are frequented by but few
other animals. They are also adepts at
seeking food supplies and travel long distances
when hunger demands and a supply
of food is not at hand. The Pocket
Rats are no exception to this rule and
some of the species live in dry, arid regions
where but little vegetation grows,
aside from a few species of cactus. The
rat of our illustration was found by Mr.
Frank M. Woodruff in such a locality,
where it had hidden under the sheltering
branches of a cactus.</p>
<p>The marked characteristic that gives
these little animals their name is the
pockets or cheek pouches. These are
external openings outside of the mouth
and are lined with a furry skin. They
are ample in size and the two will hold,
in some instances, a heaping tablespoonful
of grain. “The filling is done so rapidly
that, where a hard grain like wheat
is used, a continuous rattling sound is
made. The ejecting of the grain from
the pockets is aided by a forward, squeezing
motion of the fore feet, each foot
making two or three quick forward passes.
Some of the species seem to thrive in
captivity, and after a few days do not
fill their pouches, apparently having
learned that it is a useless labor. When
obtainable, their natural food consists
of various plant seeds, but when in the
neighborhood of cultivated fields and the
vicinity of houses, they feed also upon
grain and the vegetable waste from
camps and houses. Mr. F. Stephens says
that some of the species, whose habits he
has studied, will eat about a heaping
tablespoonful each of wheat or barley
in twenty-four hours and one or two
square inches of beet or cabbage leaves.”
As they are often found in regions practically
devoid of water, a large part of
the year, it is highly probable that they
obtain the necessary moisture from succulent
leaves. In captivity they drink but
little water. Mr. Stephens writes of one
that he trapped that was evidently very
hungry. Placing it in a cage he gave it
grain. He says: “It was amusing to see
the eagerness with which it immediately
went to filling its pockets. It stuffed
them so full that it must have been positively
painful, and then it would not stop
to eat, but hunted about for some exit;
not finding one, it ejected the contents of
its pockets in a corner out of the firelight
and went back for more. This time
it ate a little, but soon gathered the remainder
and deposited it with the first.
After eating a little more, it refilled its
pockets and hunted about for a better
place to make a cache, seeming to think
its first choice insecure. These actions
plainly show that they are in the habit
of storing away their supplies.” In some
fields where they are common it is said
that more than a pint of grain is
ploughed up in a single cache.</p>
<p>The elongated hind legs, well pictured
in our illustration, give these rats a wonderful
power of locomotion. As they
leap rather than run, they are often called
Kangaroo Rats. Mr. Woodruff states
that the specimen, which we have used,
when trying to escape started with short
leaps, but as it gained headway the spans
were about four feet in length and at
the highest point about eighteen inches
from the ground. He found them quite
common in the vicinity of San Diego,
California. They are nocturnal in their
habits, seeking their food through the
twilight and night hours, and resting
during the day in their burrows or in
shaded places near the openings to them.</p>
<p>When resting the position of the feet
and the arched back give them the appearance
of a hairy ball. The tail is laid
straight out from the body, if space will
permit, or when the quarters are
cramped it may be curled alongside the
body. The tail is quite useful, as it is
used as a sort of brace when the animal
raises on its hind feet to view its surroundings.</p>
<p>There are a number of species of these
interesting rats. The first one was discovered
and named in 1839. The species
we illustrate was first found near San
Diego and named Dipodomys similis in
1893.</p>
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