WILD ANIMALS I HAVE "ET" 197 



gust only disconcert him during the process of 

 their extraction. 



As time goes on and he becomes more fa- 

 miliar with the life histories of the animals, he 

 discovers also that many of the beasts of the 

 fields and forests are far cleaner in their tastes 

 than our domesticated animals. For instance, 

 "What Doesn't a Chicken Eat?" would be a far 

 more appropriate subject for a church debating 

 society to argue after a chicken supper than be- 

 fore, and the same can be said of swine. But 

 should I send out an invitation to a banquet 

 and head the menu with a stew composed of 

 what are generally termed "rats and mice," 

 how many covers could I count'on? While rats 

 and mice are hardly proper to serve to one's 

 friends, so long as we eat rabbits and squirrels, 

 which belong to the same order, there is no rea- 

 son why we should not consider field and forest 

 rats and mice edible. They feed on fruits, 

 seeds, roots, grasses, vegetables, and bark, and 

 are exceedingly cleaner in their habits. The 

 meadow-mouse, or field-mouse, spends much of 

 its time cleaning itself with its tiny front feet, 

 and its living-rooms are as clean and sanitary as 

 they are in any house or hotel. This is not 



