1 9© LLOYDS NATURAL HISTORY. 



dens and fields in the neighbourhood of towns and villages. 

 Macgillivray observes that, in spite of its sombre coloration, 

 the activity of this little creature and its graceful movements 

 render it not uninteresting to the observant naturalist. " It is 

 pleasant to sit quietly at midnight watching one which has 

 ventured from its retreat and stolen to the hearth in quest of 

 crumbs. It glides along, now slowly, now by sudden starts, 

 and on finding some fragment of food, sits on its haunches, 

 lays hold of it in its fore-feet, and raising it up, nibbles it, or, 

 if apprehensive of danger, runs off with it to its hole. Although 

 extremely timid, Mice sometimes exhibit considerable boldness, 

 and venture quite close to a person who does not molest them. 

 Their agility is astonishing, and to escape when pursued they 

 perform extraordinary feats. I have seen one leap from the 

 top of a stair-case upo:i a table, a distance of twelve feet, 

 apparently without receiving any injury. If seized in the hand 

 they bite severely, but if caught by the tail and thus suspended, 

 are unable to turn upon their persecutor. Although when in 

 small numbers they are scarcely injurious to a house, yet, owing 

 to their fecundity, they soon become very destructive, devour- 

 ing meal, flour, bread, cheese, butter, tallow, in short, almost 

 every article of food that comes in their way, and often gnaw- 

 ing clothes, leather, and furniture. Their great enemy, the 

 Cat, is not always able to extirpate them, so that the additional 

 aid of traps and poison is required. The ravages of this 

 species are not confined to houses, for it often betakes itself to 

 the fields, and nestles in the corn-stacks, which are found 

 towards the base traversed by its tortuous runs. The ground 

 beneath is also filled with them, and on removing a stack num- 

 bers almost incredible are often met with. Besides Man, and 

 his allies, the Cat, the Dog, and the Ferret, the Mouse has many 

 powerful enemies, all of which, however, are unable to extirpate 

 it, for it litters many times in the year, producing from five to 



