[Illustration: KANGAROO RAT _Dipodomys spectabilis_] These delicately proportioned and graceful little beasts are habitants of grassy, weed-grown, and brushy locations, mainly in the open country. They are equally at home, however, in the beautiful grassy open forests of oak, pine, and firs which clothe the slopes of the great continental mountain system of Mexico and Central America. [Illustration: BANDED LEMMING (_Dicrostonyx nelsoni_) Summer Winter] [Illustration: BROWN LEMMING _Lemmus alascensis_] In general they prefer comparatively dry situations, if there is sufficient moisture to produce the needed vegetation, but some species inhabit swamps and even salt and fresh water marshes. Although as a rule not very numerous, at times they are very abundant and make well-worn trails through the small vegetation in their haunts. They are active throughout the year, and in the North, like some other mice, burrow through the winter snows along the surface of the ground in search of food. So far as man is concerned, most of the harvest mice are among the least offensive of mammals. There are exceptions, however, and, although they rarely approach habitations and as a rule take but slight toll from grain fields and meadows, yet in some areas they become so numerous as to do considerable damage. Their food includes a great variety of seeds, small fruits and succulent matter mainly from wild plants of no economic value. They lay up stores of seeds in their nests and in little special storage places for severe or inclement weather. Some of the species dig burrows in the ground where their nests are hidden. Most of them, however, build globular nests of grass and other vegetable matter several inches in diameter in dense grass close to the ground, or up in the midst of rank growths of weeds, or even as high as eight or ten feet from the ground in bushes and low trees. Sometimes they take possession of convenient sites already provided, such as old woodpecker holes, cavities in fence posts, knot holes, and deserted birds’ nests, including the nests of the cactus wren and orchard oriole, which they remodel to suit themselves. Their nests are lined with fine downy material such as the pappus of the milkweed or the cattail flag, and have from one to three small openings usually located on the underside. In these neat homes they have several litters of from one to seven young each year.