254 LORD LILFORD 



is found in Egypt, Palestine, and Cyprus, where 

 it commits great ravages upon dates and other 

 fruit. 



1 1 have living specimens of the four European 

 species of Dormouse, but have nothing of any 

 general interest to record about them except 

 that one species, known as the " Garden 

 Dormouse," does not exhibit the drowsy ten- 

 dencies of our common English Dormouse or 

 the two others of this family in the daytime, 

 but is always remarkably active, and ready to 

 bite and scratch whenever handled. We have 

 during the last two years bred a good many of 

 the exceedingly pretty striped mouse of Africa, 

 known as the Barbary mouse, from a pair pro- 

 cured for me by a friend in Morocco. 



' We have not taken the trouble to make 

 special pets of any of these mice, but they are 

 not only very tameable, but also capable of a 

 considerable amount of education. A lady ] who 

 paid us a visit last year brought one of these 

 little animals with her, and had taught it to sit 

 up on a doll's chair, open a little cupboard and 

 take sugar from a drawer, hold up and drink 



1 The Honourable Mabel de Grev. 



