Her RICK, Instinctive Traits of Animals. 127 



•then with rage. It was not a run — but a jump which she made 

 at the Httle involuntary intruder, who received a nip that made 

 it squeal in terror. We removed the little captive, who was so 

 astonished that it was quite content to lie m our hand. Its ter- 

 ror had won our pity, and we restored to it its liberty." 



Although the particular mouse, above so pleasantly de- 

 scribed, came from Florida, it is certain that the musical powers 

 are not confined to any section, for several different species of 

 various genera have afforded exanij^les of more or less highly 

 developed musical powers, as witness the following note (pioted 

 from the American Naturalist oi 187 [, p. 171 : 



" A communication in the Naturalist some time ago in re- 

 gard to musical mice, prepared me for a phenomenon which re- 

 cently came under my observation, which otherwise would have 

 astonished me beyond conception. I was sitting a few evenings 

 since, not far from a half-open closet door, when I was startled 

 by a sound issuing from the closet, of such marvelous beauty 

 that I at once asked my wile how Bobbie Burns (our canary) 

 had found his way into the closet, and what could start him to 

 singing such a queer and sweet song in the dark ? I procured 

 a light and found it to be a mouse ! He had filled an overshoe 

 from a basket of popcorn which had been popped and placed in 

 the closet in the morning. Whether this rare collection of food 

 inspired him with song I know not, but I had not the heart to 

 disturb his corn, hoping to hear from him again. Last night 

 his song was renewed. I approached him with a subdued light 

 and with great caution, and hid the pleasure of seeing him sit- 

 ting among his corn and singing his beautiful solo. I observed 

 him without interruption, for ten minutes, not over four feet 

 from him. His song was not a chirp, but a continuous song of 

 musical tone, a kind of to-wit-to-wee-\voo-woo-wee woo, quite 

 varied in pitch. While I observed him I took for granted that 

 he was a common house mouse {Mus museums), but when he 

 sprang from the shoe to make his escape he appeared like the 

 prairie mouse {Hespyromys michiganensis), a species I had not, 

 however, observed before indoors. I have thus far failed to 

 secure this little rodent musician, but I shall continue to do all 

 I can in the way of popcorn to entertain him, and if his marvel- 

 ous voice gives him the pre-eminence in mousedom which he 



