THE HARVEST MOUSE 569 
near the hedges of stubbles in Kent and Sussex!; in tall 
sedges by the river Waveney at Gillingham, Norfolk; and in 
Marram-Grass on the sea-beach, almost within reach of the 
spray, at Kessingland, Norfolk’; in straggling Blackthorns 
beside a ditch (on 30th November) ; and in a plant of common 
Broom*; upon “laid” barley in Suffolk (several, almost 
all containing young) *; affixed to stems of Centaurea nigra’ ; 
18 inches from the ground, supported by stems of grass anda 
few twigs of a hedge surrounding a cornfield, East Lothian °; 
and lastly, one on the ground amongst grass and clover." 
In this country, unlike the nests described by Schlegel 
(above), the summer nest, which is globular and of about the 
size of a cricket ball, has no regular aperture for entrance, 
though the place where the mice find their way in and out 
through the side or top is sometimes noticeable. The body of 
the nest consists of leaves split into short lengths, which 
naturally contract, shrivel, and become confused together to 
form a bed. Mr D. English found 250 split lengths in 
a single nest, and calculated that at least 100 complete 
leaves had been utilised. When built in corn or reeds, the 
stalks are used as piles; the leaves growing from these piles 
are left attached to their stalks, although they are some- 
times first split into narrow bands’; these leaves are inter- 
woven so as to form the sides or foundation of the nest. 
Such nests, though no doubt compact enough when in 
their natural position, are difficult to handle when removed, 
for owing to their loose cohesion they easily lose their 
shape and swell in size. Nests built in less convenient or 
more precarious situations are stronger, and will suffer con- 
siderable violence without injury on removal; thus White's 
nest, from a thistle head, “ was so compact and well filled, that 
it would roll across the table without being discomposed, 
1 A. Hussey, Zoc. cit. 2 Crowfoot in Southwell, Zoologist, 1871, 2756. 
3 G. T. Rope, Zoologist, 1880, 57. 4 E. C. Moor, zdzd., 1884, 190. 
5 Newstead, Proc. Chester Soc. Nat. Sci., iv., 248. 
8 W. Evans. 7 L. E. Adams (27 7/77.) 
8 They probably show entrance-holes when old ; witness one with three apertures 
inhabited by eight nearly full-grown mice (W. Hewett, Zoologis/, 1843, 349). 
® Gloger in White’s Se/éorne, by Bennett, 58, no/e; cited by Tomes in Bell, 
ed, ii., 290. 
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