Freely growing laboratory populations of prairie deermice were founded by releasing four adult males and four adult females into enclosures containing food and water in excess of utilization. Growth ceased in each population at markedly variable numerical levels though under similar conditions of the physical environment. Control of population growth was achieved by one of two means: cessation of reproduction or failure of young to survive. Reproduction by females founding the populations was significantly more frequent than that of females born into the populations. The evidence suggests that factors controlling the growth of laboratory populations of prairie deermice are basically behavioral, are a result of intrinsic differences in each population and are not directly related to the number of animals in each population per se.

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