THE DORMOUSE 57 



pared with those that are occupied, indeed the 

 number of unused nests that one finds is truly 

 surprising and says much for the industry of 

 the makers. Notwithstanding this a dormouse 

 will sometimes make use of an old bird's nest. 

 I once found one in a deserted blackbird's nest. 

 It had altered and adjusted the lining so as to 

 make a comfortable covering for itself, and noticing 

 this heap of stuff in the nest I gave it a poke to 

 see what it was. To my astonishment my finger 

 sank into something soft and furry, but quite 

 cold. It was a sleeping dormouse. The day was 

 chilly, and the animal had sunk into a sleep nearly 

 as sound as that state of deep unconsciousness 

 in which it passes the winter. Its very name 

 means the " sleeping mouse/' and it is not 

 dubbed the sleeper for nothing. The first frost 

 or fall in the temperature sends the dormouse 

 into such a deep sleep that it becomes not only 

 quite inanimate, but so cold as to be apparently 

 dead, and on taking the temperature of a 

 hibernating mouse one finds it is but little above 

 that of its surroundings, though when active its 

 blood heat is about that of a normal human 

 being. 1 



The dormouse in the blackbird's nest was not, 

 however, quite unconscious, my poking roused 

 it, and in a minute or two it began to stir ; out it 

 popped, ran a little way along a branch, and 

 then turned round and looked at me with those 

 dark eyes which are like shiny black beads. What 

 * Mr. H. E. Forrest was the first, I believe, to point this out. 



