Anatomy of the Wood Rat. Comparative Anatomy of the Subgenera of the American Wood Rat (Genus Neotoma).

This is the first of a proposed series of studies on the anatomy of American mammals, undertaken to furnish a basis for the investigation of convergence of diverse mammals toward types specialized for certain modes of life. The object of this particular book is stated by the author to be the presentation of certain portions of the gross anatomy of a medium-sized, generalized cricetine rodent. The wood rat Homodontomys, of somewhat arboreal habits, is taken as the basic type, and with it are compared representatives of two other genera, Neotoma, living on the ground in semiarid regions, and Teonoma, found on rock slides in high mountain country. The myology and osteology of these three forms are considered in considerable detail; of the other systems, only the digestive and urogenital are presented. The style is simple and plain; the illustrations are clear and conveniently labeled. In a final chapter there is