1806 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART III. 
of that method; and the probability, or rather certainty, of a transplanted oak 
making a tree as large or larger, and in less time, than a tree from the acorn 
sown or planted in the place where it is intended finally to remain. In the 
forests mentioned, the short-tailed, or field, mouse, the rooks, and various 
vermin, took the acorns out of the holes, and caused a great deficiency in the 
plants at first coming up; but the destructive ravages of that little animal the 
field mouse were not fully known till the third year from the commencement 
of planting the acorns. Great quantities of the small oak plants from the 
acorn were then found barked and bitten off, particularly where the grass was 
thick; and nearly all the ash that had been planted in the wet and moist grounds 
were barked all round the stem in the same manner as the oaks; only more 
so, as the mice seemed to be fonder of the ash than of the oak bark. The hares 
were first supposed to have done the mischief; but, on examining the plants 
more minutely, quantities of the excrement of the field mouse were found near 
every plant that had been barked or nibbled, except in the case of those 
plants which were not surrounded by grass or herbage of any kind. All such 
lants remained untouched by the mice; and the reason is, that, where the mice 
had not the shelter of grass and herbage, they were exposed to their natural 
enemies, the hawk, the owl, &c. Attempts were made to catch the mice by 
* cats, dogs, owls, poison, traps, baits,” &c., but with very little success ; till 
at length it was discovered by accident that, when a mouse had got into a hole 
in the ground with perpendicular sides, it could not get out again. In con- 
quence of this discovery, holes about 18 in. deep, and somewhat wider at bot- 
tom than at top, were dug, at 20 yards apart each way, over a surface of about 
3200 acres. “ The holes were made from 18in. to 2 ft. long, 16in. or 18in. deep, 
about 10 in., or the breadth of a spade, wide at the top, 14 in. or 15 in. wide at 
the bottom, and 3in. or 4 in. longer at the bottom than the top: if the ground 
was firm, so much the better. Some holes were made in a circular form; but 
this was only a work of fancy, which cost more trouble than the oblong holes, 
as either sort answered, provided they were well made, the sides firm and even, 
and that they were 3in. or 4in. wider every way at the bottom than at the top; 
otherwise the mice would run up the sides, and get out again, if they could find 
any footing. But, if the holes were well made, when the mice were once in, 
they could not get out again; and, what is very extraordinary, they would 
really eat each other when left long inthe holes.” (Facts, &c., p.42.) In wet 
or stormy nights, the mice got into the holes in the greatest numbers; but in 
calm, dry, or frosty nights, very few entered them. New holes were more 
attractive to the vermin than old ones. Baits of various kinds were put into 
them; but the baited holes were never found to contain more mice than the 
unbaited ones. Fifteen mice have been taken in a hole in one night. “ Some- 
times the holes were made in the bottoms of the drains, where there was not 
a constant run of water, as the mice appeared to run along the drains; and a 
great many were caught in these holes. The people who made the holes, of 
course, looked after the mice, and were paid for them by the dozen. They 
were obliged to attend to the holes to take the mice out very early in the 
mornings, otherwise the crows, magpies, hawks, owls, weasels, and other ver- 
min, attended very regularly, and made the first seizure. Several of these 
depredators were caught in the fact, by the men'dropping on them suddenly. 
We soon caught upwards of 30,000, that were paid for by number, as two per- 
sons were appointed to take an account of them, and see them buried or made 
away with, to prevent imposition.” (p. 43.) Mr. Billington found oak trees 
cut down by the mice of 7 ft. and 8 ft. high, and 14 in. in diameter at the place 
bitten off, which was just at the root, within the ground, and, as it were, between 
the root and the stem: in short, at what botanists call the collar. ‘ When 
examining for the thick part of the root, below where it was bitten off,” he 
says, “ I never could find any part of it left; so that it is very probable it must 
have been eaten by them.” (p. 45.) Mr. Billington also found the mice 
pretty numerous, and very troublesome, in the royal forest at Chopwell; more 
especially before the great snow in 1823, which destroyed many of them, and 
a 
