Deermice are rather small, averaging 7 to 8 inches long. Tail 3 to 4 inches. Most species are a buffy gray above shading to brighter buff on the sides and light buff to white beneath. Feet are always white. The ears are large for a mouse, usually sparsely covered with short, fine hairs, but in some species almost naked. Eyes appear black but have a brownish shade when viewed closely in a good light. Tail long, up to the length of head and body, as a rule sparsely haired; bicolor in some species. Young, four to six, born almost any time of the year, with several litters except at higher elevations where only one litter may be born, and this during late spring. In the Southwest the mild climate and plentiful food supply of the lower life zones combine to attract a great number of small rodents. By far the greater number of species is found in the Upper and Lower Sonoran Zones. This does not mean that mice are rare in the high mountains. They live there in great numbers, but of fewer species. One is the long-tailed deermouse (_Peromyscus maniculatus_), probably the most outstanding member of the genus, and the most widely distributed mouse in the United States. As might be expected, it is quite variable in appearance, having at least three distinct color phases. These vary from golden tan to a dark gray. All phases have a sharper bicolor tail, white beneath and like the rest of the upper body on top. The deermouse is well known to those who are fortunate enough to own summer cabins in the mountains. This is the little rodent which moves into the cabin as soon as the vacationer departs. Fortunately it is not so destructive as the common house mouse (which, by the way, is an introduced species) and limits its destructiveness for the most part to building a large and comfortable nest in which to live during the winter months. Deermice do not hibernate, so they must prepare against the bitter cold. However, it is not their habit to store food either, and doubtless many of them starve to death over a hard winter. Mountain vole _Microtus montanus_ (Latin: small ear ... of the mountains) [Illustration: mountain vole] Range: The mountainous regions of northwestern United States extending eastward to central Colorado and southward below the northern borders of Arizona and New Mexico. [Illustration: Habitat map] Habitat: Valleys and grassy meadows seldom lower than the Transition Zone. Description: A small sturdy rodent with short tail, total length 5½ to 7½ inches. Tail 1½ to 2½ inches. This is a very short tail for a rodent of this size, amounting to only about a fourth of the total length. Color, grayish brown to black above; underparts lighter to a silvery gray. This is but one of many species found in southwestern mountains. The Mexican vole and the long-tailed vole are two which share its range. They are quite similar in appearance and their life histories also are much the same.