1 8? Qiierics and Ans^acers, 



But, some time in the spring of 1833, the mice were observed 

 to have retired, like the lemmings of Norway ; and the foxes, 

 in want of their accustomed food, again fell upon the sheep 

 (the lambs at first) with unwonted fury. 



During the time that these mice were most abundant, the 

 person who manages Mr. Frazer of Eskadale's sheep-farms, 

 a man of rather superior acuteness and sagacity, paid some 

 attention to them. He saj^s, that, as near as he could esti- 

 mate, they devoured about 8 bolls (64 bushels) of his potatoes ; 

 and that he dug out of one hole no less than seventeen of 

 them, of various colours, probably young ones. He says that 

 *' their general colour was brown, with a white ring about 

 the neck ; and the tail likewise tipped with white ; a light- 

 coloured stripe down the nose and along the back." As soon 

 as I heard of this irruption of mice, I sent repeated requests 

 for specimens, which, I suppose, was put off as a thing that 

 could be " done any time ; " and now the mice have, it seems, 

 departed from the land. If any correspondent would inform 

 me if they have seen or heard of such a species of mouse, it 

 would be very gratifying to me. I have seen two or three 

 that I never could find any description or resemblance of in 

 books. — W, L, Selkirhhire, Dec, 20. 1833. 



Has the Animal Le Lerot of Cuvier^s " Regne Animal" been 

 observed in any English Orchard or Garden P With incidental 

 Information on the Importation of Apples from Jersey and 

 Guernsey to the West of England for manifacturing into Cider 

 in the latter Place, — By a friend who has resided several 

 years at Havre, I am informed that great destruction of the 

 best fruit in the gardens takes place by the depredations of 

 an animal about the size of a common rat, which eats the 

 fruit as it becomes ripe. The name given to it by the in- 

 habitants in that part of France is le rat mulot^ or the rat 

 field-mouse. It resembles a squirrel more than a rat, the 

 end of its tail being tufted. From the proximity of the 

 northern coast of France to England, and the great import- 

 ation of fruit in the autumn, it is rather remarkable that the 

 animal has not been imported into this country. I do not 

 recollect ever seeing any animals of this kind in France or 

 Switzerland, but I understand they are very numerous. On 

 referring to Le Regne Animal of Cuvier, I find, among Ics 

 Rongeurs [Animalia rodentia, the gnawing animals], an animal 

 named le lerot, which must be the animal provincially called 

 7'at mulot. It is described " as rather smaller than the rat, 

 of a greyish brown colour above, and white beneath. The 

 eye is surrounded with black hair, which extends and spreads 

 to the shoulder. The tail, which is tufted only at the end, is 

 black ; but the extremity is white. It is common in French 



