WILD MICE. 69 



country, but a wild native kind not found in the village. I 

 sent one to a distinguished naturalist, and it interested him 

 much. When I was building, one of these had its nest un- 

 derneath the house, and before I had laid the second floor 

 and swept out the shavings, would come out regularly at 

 lunch-time and pick up the crumbs at my feet. It probably 

 had never seen a man before ; arid it soon became quite fa- 

 miliar, and would run over my shoes and up rny clothes. 

 It could readily ascend the sides of the room by short im- 

 pulses, like a squirrel, which it resembled in its motions. 

 At length, as I leaned my elbow on the bench one day, it 

 ran up my clothes and along rny sleeve, and around and 

 around the table which held my dinner, while I kept the 

 latter close, and dodged and played at bo-peep with it ; and 

 when at last I held still a piece of cheese between my 

 thumb and finger, it came and nibbled it, sitting in my 

 hand, and afterward cleaned its face and paws like a fly, 

 and walked away." 



Mice are full of such curiosity. They poke their noses 

 into all sorts of places where there is a prospect of some- 

 thing to eat, and sometimes, failing to find so good a friend 

 as Mr. Thoreau, meet the fate which ought to be the end 

 of all poking of noses into other people's affairs they get 

 caught. I remember one such case which Mr. Frank 



