Teacher's Leaflet. 537 



hands as well as feet ; the tail is long and covered with a few scattered 

 hairs ; the teeth are like those of other rodents, two long, curved, gnawing 

 teeth in the front of each jaw, then a bare space and four grinding teeth 

 on each side of each jaw. Attention should be called especially to the 

 gnawing teeth, for it is with these that the mice cut their passages 

 through wood partitions or through other substances. 



LESSON CIIL 



HOW THE MOUSE ACTS. 



Purpose. — To call the pupil's attention to the habits of the mouse. 



Note how the mouse lifts itself on its hind feet to examine an 

 object; it. is constantly sniffing not only for danger but for things good 

 to eat. Note the use of whiskers; and how the front teeth are used like 

 hands for holding its food. Note especially how it washes itself using 

 its front paws for scrubbing the head. If paper be put on the bottom 

 of the cage the mouse will strip it off to make a nest. The young mice 

 are small, downy, pink and bUnd when born. The mother makes for 

 them a nice, soft, round nest of bits of cloth, paper, grass or whatever 

 is at hand, and in the center of the ball she keeps her family. Mice 

 living in houses have regular runways between plastering and the outside 

 or between ceiling and floor ; through these runways they pass all over 

 the house. In winter they live on what of our food they can find, but 

 they also do us a good turn by destroying all the flies or other insects 

 that may have sought refuge in the cracks and crannies of our houses 

 during the winter. In the barn the mice make their nests in almost 

 any nook or cranny or sometimes in the middle of the hay or straw. 

 Mice are thirsty little fellows and they like to make their nests within 

 easy reach of water. The house mice sometimes live under the stacks of 

 corn or grain in the fields, but usually confine themselves to buildings 

 inhabited by man or domestic animals. 



LESSON CIV. 



DIFFERENT SPECIES OF MICE. 



Purpose. — To make the pupils observant of the different species of 

 our native mice. 



We have quite common in New York State two species of wild mice, the 

 Field or Meadow Mouse and the White-footed or Deer Mouse. 



The Meadow Mouse. — The time to begin the study of this species is in the 

 spring after the snow is gone, thus revealing their runways which go in every 

 direction through the meadow. A trap may be set and one of these mice caught 

 for observation. The field mouse is heavy bodied with short legs, short ears and 



