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nights. Neither species, however, showed an affinity toward the mixed brush <br />habitat. <br />Three species, least chipm¢uilc, long-tailed vole and deer grouse, wexe <br />enoountesed in traps established in aspen vegetation. Over 808 of the <br />individuals captured, however, were deer nu.~; as a result, the species <br />diversity index was not as high as that of mixed brush which contained only <br />two species. Aspen was sewnd to upland sagebrush in the total number of <br />sn311 m3nnals captured with a relative aMmAanCe 1Tf~PY of 14.7 individuals/ <br />100 trap nights. None of the three species captured, however, revealed an <br />affinity for this type based on Chi-sQuare data presented in Appandix B, <br />Part 1. <br />Upland sagebrush vegetation contained the largest population of small mammals <br />(15.9 individuals/100 trap nights) as indicated by live-trapping data. Of <br />the two species captured in the type, deer mouse and least chipmunk, the <br />majority of individuals enwuntered were of the for![er species. AS a result, <br />• the species diversity index was the second lowest of all types sampled. <br />The deer House by virtue of the large number of captures in this type, <br />evidenced a definite affinity for upland sagebrush habitat in the study area. <br />Small Mammal Distribution, Akxurlance and Population Structure. The deer <br />mouse was the most frequently captured small mammal in all vegetation types <br />sampled (except riparian in whiff no small mammals were captised) and <br />acoounte3 for over 84~ of the total small m~ial atn~a*+~. This nocturnal <br />species was most abundant in upland sagebrush vegetation and showed a <br />definite affinity for this type. The deer mouse is known to occur in all <br />habitats in Colorado with a ham range from one-thizrl to over three acres. <br />Deer mice nest in burrows or other protected situations and feed primarily <br />on seeds. Other components of their diet include insects, arachnids, and <br />green vegetation (Lechleitner, 1969). <br />• <br />-31- <br />