THREE YEARS LATER 



my heart, on account of a valuable manuscript 

 which this mouse had purloined and reduced 

 to scraps, with which to decorate her last 

 nest. 



The following morning I saw the mother 

 come into the cabin with a baby mouse in her 

 mouth. I thought it might be one of her 

 own dropped by the stoat. But I was soon un- 

 deceived. The mouse left, and soon returned 

 with another little one. This time I examined 

 the young mice. They did not belong to 

 my mouse family. They were strangers to 

 me. The old mouse cared for these babies 

 as if they were her own. I expect that the 

 stoats had killed the mother, and my mouse 

 had adopted the orphans. 



The young mice increased in size rapidly, 

 and soon took on the adult form and color. 

 Then I recognized them. They were the gray 

 Hesperomys, while my mice were the fulvous 

 Hesperomys. The first is found in deep 

 woods, the latter near farm-buildings and in 

 the neighboring woodlands. 



I don't know where their foster-parent 

 137 



