HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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to keep the mouse from getting out by the hole in the 

 bottom of the carafe I put the palm of my hand over 

 it, but to which the mouse made so free use of its 

 teeth, that I had to set it quickly down when the 

 cracked carafe fell in pieces, and the mouse was again 

 free. It scampered somewhat awkwardly across the 

 floor, keeping up its musical notes as it went and got 

 under the grate. I again set the trap in the same 

 place, but had not bright hopes of again getting 

 the mouse, but, strange to say, it was in the trap 

 again in not many minutes. I could hear the mouse 

 go up behind the grate, and from hence behind the 

 ceiling to the press where the trap was — its constant 

 musical cry being so loud. This was on the 20th 

 August, and it was kept and fed in the trap, till a 

 cage was made for it, and into which it was put on 

 the 23rd. A younger and smaller mouse was put 

 into the cage beside the musical mouse on the 24th, 

 with which at first there was a fight, but soon after- 

 wards both were on good terms and remained 

 together till the 27th, when, through the opening of 

 one of the wires both escaped. The same day the 

 trap was re-set, and by night the musical mouse was 

 again in it, and was put back to its cage, and in which 

 it has remained to the present time (8th November). 

 During this time the mouse has been in my 

 possession its note has undergone considerable 

 change, and has even at times been stopped. The 

 following is an extractive summary from the observa- 

 tions : — On 25th August its cry during the night like 

 a young chicken when warm under its mother's 

 wing — i.e. "wet, wet," the vowel being sounded as in 

 " eat." On morning of 26th, a friend came to see it, 

 but he was not favoured with its music ; it was 

 aroused from its sleep, but he was not long gone 

 when it began. On 27th two other mice put into the 

 cage ; all agreed well, only they were allowed a 

 second share of the food as long as they remained in 

 the cage ; 2Sth, the musical mouse quite tame, and 

 spends much of its time biting the wires of its cage ; 

 29th, little music ; its hair sickly looking ; at 1. 30 p.m. 

 all three in a cluster sleeping or resting. September 

 1st, the other two mice escaped, and the musical 

 mouse in great activity. 2nd, resting and very in- 

 active. September 7th, it now takes very sound 

 sleep during the day, when it is silent, but at night, 

 when out, its note is considerably changed, being 

 something like the croak of a frog, or cok-cok- 

 cok-cok, in quick succession. About 10th, rests 

 much; not so much music; hair getting drier, and 

 its back somewhat bent up. October 19th, silent 

 during day and Dight, but on 20th at a great height 

 — crying in its nest, and during the evening very 

 loud, but ate cheese and drank milk very lively ; 

 again on the 26th, in the evening, had a violent and 

 sudden attack ; its cry loud and rapid, and its body 

 with rapid breathing terribly convulsed ; I offered it 

 some cream which it lapped from a teaspoon, and 

 was relieved. At present (November Sth) the 



creature is still alive and active, but little of its 

 music is now heard, but when the ear is brought 

 near it a complicated wet-ing sound is heard in its 

 breathing. The mouse is the common one, Mus 

 vmsculus, a female having six teats, in size moderate, 

 but for this locality would be called large where mice 

 are smaller than in districts where oats are more in 

 use. The inside of the mouse's ears is partly covered 

 with warts, akin to what I have often observed on 

 sick and dying rats in both town and country. The 

 above observations, I think, point to the cause of the 

 music as being the effect of disease connected with 

 the respiratory organs. Another item that favours 

 this is its great fondness for fat or butter. 



Looking on disease as the cause of the so-called 

 music in our "musical," "singing," or "whistling" 

 mice, we may look around ourselves and consider the 

 extent to which such a disease prevails among mice. 

 In London musical mice have often been exhibited. 

 In vol. i. of the "Zoologist" (1843), there is a 

 lengthy notice of one, and again in vol. vii. (1849) 

 there are two described as "whistling" mice, and in 

 the same an extract is given from "A paper on the 

 study of Natural History," by W. D. King, where he 

 says "much has been written of late years " on them, 

 and he says the music of the mice is a voluntary act. 

 In vol. xv. (1857) two singing mice are described, 

 and another in vol. xxiii. (1865), and in this case the 

 editor, E. Newman, in a note, says he believes it 

 "to be the effect of some lung disease, perhaps 

 tubercular phthisis ," — which, in short, is consumption. 

 The Rev. J. G.Wood in "Illustrated Natural History" 

 (1865), makes reference to "singing mice," but leaves 

 the reader to come to his own conclusions on the 

 subject — whether voluntary or caused by disease ; 

 but he, nevertheless, quotes from a long letter by 

 the Rev. R. L. Bampfield, Essex, who believes the 

 cause to be voluntary. In the first volume of " The 

 Science Monthly Illustrated," for the recent year 

 (18S4), there are references to musical mice, one being 

 by W. B. Kesteven, M.D., in which he says, " I in- 

 terpreted this musical performance as being the 

 expression of intense gratification, comparable with 

 the pleased purring of a cat." Another reference 

 in the same magazine is by W. T. Green, F.Z.S., 

 who took a small musical mouse that died by the next 

 morning and when dissected was seen to be suffering 

 from pleuro-pneumonia. In Paisley, here, other six 

 musical mice, in addition to the one described, have 

 been brought under my notice. One of these which at- 

 tracted attention by its cry in a room was to be taken, 

 when it got on the window blinds, and its cry was so 

 increased in its excitement that its pursuer in awe 

 left it. Another of these was tied by a string round 

 its neck to a gas pipe on the mantelpiece, where it 

 lived and was fed for some time, keeping up its music, 

 till, at last, it fell over the edge of the mantelpiece 

 and was hanged. 



Taylor, Sub-Curator, Museum, Paisley. 



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