182 BULLETIN NO. VTI. 



that on one occasion my little boy said : * Papa, I would like 

 to see mousie walk just once.' Her taste was quite omnivorous, 

 although, unlike the domestic mouse, she did not care for 

 cheese. But meat, corn, nuts, sugar and even pudding and fish 

 were all acceptable. A little sod of fresh grass and white clover 

 was occasionally put into the cage. This she enjoyed greatly, 

 eating the greens like a rabbit; only always insisting on sitting 

 up to* it. It was interesting to witness how ready she was 

 for emergencies. Sitting on her hind feet, she would take hold, 

 with her hands, of a blade of grass and begin eating at the tip. 

 The spear would rapidly shorten, and seemingly she must now 

 stoop to finish it, or do it in the ordinary quadrupedal style. 

 Now, that was just what she did not choose to do. So, when 

 the emergency came, she would stoop down and in a trice cut 

 the blade off close to the sod with just one nip, then up again 

 on her feet in a sitting posture, she would finish it in a com 

 fortable and becoming way. On one occasion a worm crept 

 out of the sod and Hespy at once fell to it and soon had it 

 tucked away without cooking. As to exercise, she manages 

 to take a great deal. In the day time her exercise is less, as 

 she does a good deal of sleeping then. It is at night that her 

 peculiar talents appear to advantage, beginning at vespers, as 

 her name might imply. Then, as a singer, her genius literally 

 shines. It is with her singing that we are most concerned, and 

 indeed, at the moment of this writing (for it is night) she is in 

 fine song. Perhaps, however, it will seem more literal and 

 actual if her performances are described in the past tense. 



"Our little musician had several snatches or bits of melody 

 which were often repeated. But in her repertoire were two 

 notable ones, each of which deserves to be dignified as a profes- 

 sional role. The one by far the more frequent is noted below, 

 and because it is her favorite, when running in her revolving 

 cage, it was named ; The Wheel Song. '* 



' ' The last bar of this would frequently be prolonged to two 

 or three, and she would sometimes change from c sharp to d, to 

 c natural and d, then warble on these two notes awhile and wind 

 up with a quick chirp on c sharp and d. The distinctions be- 

 tween the semi -tones was very marked and easily appreciable 

 to a good ear. I have always enjoyed the mellow little strains 

 of the song of the sparrow and the house wren. But in either 

 case it was short and apt to become monotonous from its admit- 

 ting almost no variation. Monotony was not chargeable to 



* The musical notation was written by my son, Ferris C. Lockwood. 



