A MINIATURE BRITISH FAUNA 



MICE 



THE importance of the jera natura of any country 

 is generally in inverse proportion to its number of 

 inhabitants. Britain has been long settled, and the 

 larger of its wild animals have been long ago ex- 

 terminated. Although the present British fauna is 

 a much decayed one, it is probably now stationary, 

 and is likely so to continue for an indefinite time. 

 The reason for this may be found in the diminutive- 

 ness of its members a protection that no war of 

 extermination can make headway against. Of the 

 thirty land animals which constitute the fauna of 

 this country, ten are extremely small. Four of 

 them are mice, three are voles, and three shrews 

 " small deer," any one of which would be difficult 

 to exterminate. 



There is not a member of this diminutive group 

 which may not wisely be preserved, and not the 

 least interesting among them are the mice. Of 



these we have four the dormouse, the harvest- 



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