CHAPTER VII 



MAMMALS I HAVE STALKED 



OUR British Mammals are, with few exceptions, difficult to study 

 at close quarters, but, in order to give a fairly comprehensive 

 survey of my life as a Naturalist, there is here included a brief 

 resume of some of my experiences. 



The various species of Mice and Voles have made a special 

 appeal to me, mostly because I have had good opportunities of 

 watching them both at work and play. The Dormouse is, 

 perhaps, the prettiest of them all, and makes an affectionate 

 pet, living in captivity for a number of years. I have watched 

 it climb strong herbaceous plants and small bushes in Summer, 

 presumably in its hunt for food, and I have aroused it from 

 slumber in its cosy homestead in the depth of Winter. It is 

 fond of tenanting hedgerows and quiet retreats where hazel nuts 

 are found, as these constitute one of its chief articles of diet, 

 and, where Oak woods abound, there also search may be made 

 for this elegant little beast. Adorned in a rich tawny coat, with 

 a thick, Squirrel-like tail, the Dormouse is hardly likely to be 

 mistaken for any of its congeners. 



When hibernating, it rolls up its dapper little body into a ball, 

 wrapping its long tail right round the whole as a sort of provision, 

 maybe, against coming unrolled until Spring summons it from 

 its Winter sleep. One day I carried home a Dormouse in a 

 state of suspended animation, and exhibited the furry ball in the 

 classroom. I gently tossed the slumbering creature across a 

 table, when, to the huge delight of the children assembled, the 

 animal woke up, unrolled itself, and looked about in sheer amaze- 

 ment at the unfamiliar surroundings. It had gone to sleep in 

 October in a cosy nest of dry grasses in a Hertfordshire hedgerow, 

 but awakened in a schoolroom ! The warmth of my hand and 

 the room had affected the animal more quickly than I anticipated, 

 but it provided the subject for a useful lesson to the youngsters 

 who were almost frantic with delight. 



The Harvest Mouse is another wee beastie, which, for general 



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