26 MUS MINUTUS. 



oakslirubs gi owing southward of the aforesaid locality , 

 about a mile distance from the seashore. 



Wishing to preserve from destruction the colony of the 

 interesting little animal, established in the neighbourhood 

 of my residence , I selected for our collection no more than 

 about twenty nests , showing the different modes of va- 

 riation , which they present in general. 



I must state beforehand, that the ditch, concealing 

 the largest number of nests of the Dwarf-Mouse, was also 

 inhabited by a couple of Calamodyta arundinacea and by 

 an other couple of Calamodyta phragmitis^ that two couples 

 of Calamodyta palustris had established themselves in the 

 herbs of the immediate outside border of the reeds, and 

 that the nests of all these birds were found and collected. 



The nests of the Dwarf-Mouse are in general of a glo- 

 bular form, of the average size of a man's fist, and 

 show , on one side , somewhat towards the top , a cir- 

 cular opening, sufficiently wide for the entrance of the 

 little animal. The nests, found in the ditch, were 

 commonly placed towards the top of the reeds; for those, 

 built on the outside of the water and in the shrubs, 

 the animals had chosen gramineous plants and all sorts 

 of herbs, especially Rubus fruticosus, Rumex acetosa and 

 Epilohium. It happens even, that our little animal, pro- 

 bably pressed by the necessity of bringing forth its 

 progeniture, accommodates for this purpose one or the 

 other bird's nest within its reach, by covering these nests 

 with a cap of grass. In the two instances observed of 

 this kind , one of the nests belonged to Calamodyta arun- 

 dinacea , the other to Sylvia cinerea , the latter one still 

 containing the broken eggs of the bird. 



Several nests contained the still naked young mice. As 

 to the old mice, there was no other way to get hold of 

 them than catching them with the hand, while they 

 are in their nest or about to enter it. And even in this 

 way, chance alone could insure success, the move- 

 ments of the little creature being performed with sur- 



^otes trom tbie Lieydeu M.useura, 'Vol. III. 



