THE RATS AND MICE 



1315 



House Mouse 



some of the islands of the tropics it lives exclusively in the crowns of the cocoanut 

 palm, upon the fruit of which it feeds. 



In Britain, from the absence of any species of intermediate size, it is 

 easy to distinguish between the rats, or larger species of the genus, 

 and the smaller mice; but in other countries it is impossible to draw any line of 

 distinction, and the two terms must consequently be employed in a somewhat arbi- 

 trary manner. The typical representative of the mice is the common house mouse 

 (M. musculus), which is now of almost world-wide distribution, altnough probably 

 originally a native of Asia. The characteristic features of this species are its rela- 



THE HOUSE M.OUSE. 

 (Four-fifths natural size.) 



tively large ears, long tail, and nearly uniform brownish coloration, which is only 

 slightly paler below than above. 



The distinctive peculiarity of this species is its partiality for human habitations 

 and their neighborhood; its tastes being practically omnivorous, although its chief 

 food consists of grain and other vegetable articles of human consumption. It is 

 noteworthy that in corn-stacks rats and mice live in perfect harmony together 

 without any trace of that mutual antipathy existing between the brown and the 

 black rat. This mouse is nearly as prolific as the brown rat, producing from three 

 to five litters in a year, each of which includes from four to eight blind young. In 

 habits, the house mouse is more active than most of its kindred, being able to 

 ascend vertical walls with ease, and also having the power of springing to 



