This species inhabited grassy areas of the coastal sage belt, and
reached maximum abundance on cleared land grown thickly to weeds and
scattered brush. The mouse was only locally abundant--being scarce
throughout much of the sage belt--but was found under contrasting
conditions. In San Antonio Wash the species was taken among rocks and
sparse weeds, at Palmer Canyon specimens were trapped on a barren ridge
sparsely clothed with greasewood and white sage, and also one mile E of
Big Pines in flats supporting basin sagebrush and a fairly dense growth
of grasses. The western harvest mouse was recorded from 1500 feet
elevation to 3200 feet on the Pacific slope, and at 6600 feet near Big
Pines on the desert slope.
Those specimens of harvest mice from near Big Pines may be grading
toward the desert race _megalotis_; my series of specimens from this
locality, however, is too small for clear indications on this point.
Individuals in juvenal pelage were taken on November 26, 1951, near
Devore.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 6, distributed as follows: Los
Angeles County: 1 mi. E Big Pines, 6600 ft., 2; Palmer Canyon,
2000 ft., 1; 4 mi. N Claremont, 1700 ft., 3 (PC).
=Peromyscus eremicus eremicus= (Baird)