THE MICE— MICE PROPER. 



339 



on the edges of forests, in gardens, and more rarely 

 in wide, treeless fields; in winter it enters houses, at 

 first confining itself to cellars and larders, but soon 

 climbs higher and finds its favorite haunts in attics 

 and under roofs. It rivals the Common Mouse in 

 agility, if it does not surpass it, but differs from it 

 in its mode of locomotion — proceeding mostly by 

 jumps. Outdoors it feeds on insects and worms or 

 even small birds or fruit, cherry kernels, nuts, acorns, 





WHITE-FOOTED MOUSE. The Common Mouse is thoroughly at 



home in America, but there are other species which belong to a distinctively 

 American sub-family. They are especially represented by the White-footed 

 Mouse, the pretty graceful animal shown in the picture. (Hesperomys leu- 

 copus.) 



beech seeds, and in times of scarcity probably also 

 the bark of young trees. It lays up for winter use 

 a store of provisions, but does not hibernate, and 

 draws its sustenance from its gathered treasures 

 only on gloomy or stormy days. 



The Range The Meadow Mouse (Mies agrarius) 

 of the Old World has a more restricted distribution 

 Meadow Mouse, than its allied species: it lives be- 

 tween the Rhine and 

 western Siberia, between 

 northern Holstein and 

 Lombardy. It is com- 

 mon in nearly all parts 

 of central Germany and 

 is absent on high moun- 

 tains. It delights in 

 cultivated fields, forest 

 edges, light shrubbery, 

 and in winter makes its 

 home in granaries, grain 

 stacks or barns and sta- 

 bles. When the grain is 

 being carried from the 

 stacks one sees the little 

 animals scampering 

 through the stubbles in 

 troops. The Meadow 

 Mouse is less agile and 

 much more indolent, 

 passive and better na- 

 tured than its relatives. 

 Its'-food mainly consists 

 of corn, seeds, plants, tu- 

 bers, insects and worms. 

 It also lays up winter 

 stores of provisions. 



Characteristics of Pretty and neat as all small Mice may 



the Harvest be, and charmingly as they conduct 



Mouse. themselves in captivity, the smallest 



member of the family, the Harvest Mouse {Mies 



minutus or messorius), surpasses all the others in these 



respects. It is livelier, nimbler, in short, a much 

 more prepossessing creature than any other Mouse. 

 Its length is about five inches, one-half of which is 

 included in the tail. The color of the fur is subject 

 to variations. Usually it is parti-colored, the upper 

 parts and the tail being yellowish or brownish red, 

 the under surface and the feet being white; the line 

 of demarcation is sharply defined. 



The Harvest Mouse has perplexed naturalists 

 from the earliest ages of zoological research. Pallas 

 discovered it in western Siberia and gave a detailed 

 description and a fairly good picture of it; but nearly 

 every naturalist after him classified it as a new spe- 

 cies, and each believed his theory to be right. Con- 

 tinued investigation only gave as a result the irre- 

 fragable truth, that the diminutive creature really 

 ranges from Siberia throughout Russia, Hungary, 

 Poland and Germany to France, England and Italy 

 and is absent in only a few regions. It lives in all 

 localities where agriculture is pursued, and by no 

 means always in fields, but preferably in swamps 

 among reeds, rushes, etc. During the summer the 

 pretty little creature is found in the fields in the 

 society of the Wood and Field Mouse; in winter it 

 exists in great numbers in ricks or in barns into 

 which it is conveyed from the field along with the 

 grain. When it spends the winter in the open 

 country, it sleeps through part of the season, but 

 never really hibernates or becomes torpid and there- 

 fore lays by stores for winter during the summer. 



Peculiarities of The Harvest Mouse is distinguished 

 the Harvest by its movements from all other 

 Mouse. species of the family. In spite of 



its diminutive size, it runs with great fleetness, and 

 climbs with exceeding agility and grace. It climbs 

 the smallest twigs of bushes, grass blades so weak 

 and pliable that they bend to the ground under its 

 weight; it ascends nearly as quickly on the trunks 



y *? 



// .3 



TWO MICE. This picture presents a view of two Mice of different species. That on the left is the Meadow 



Mouse of central Europe (Mus agrarius), while on the right is the pretty, white-breasted Wood Mouse, or Long- 

 tailed Field Mouse. (Mus sylvaticus.) Both delight in outdoor life in summer, but invade dwellings or barns in winter. 



and amid the branches of trees, and the dainty little 

 tail is skillfully used in this latter operation, being 

 in some degree prehensile. It is also an expert 

 swimmer and proficient in the art of diving, and all 

 its movements are lively and graceful. 



