io DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



trees; in this warm material they sleep 'during the 

 daytime and occupy their homes until the first snow 

 comes. 



Although Audubon describes nests made by 

 white-footed mice "with nearly as much art as 

 the nests of the Baltimore oriole," I am quite 

 certain the little four-footed artisans in my imme- 

 diate neighborhood seldom, if ever, take the 

 trouble to build their own houses, much preferring 

 that some other architect shall do it for them. 



I have found white-footed mice occupying the 

 nests of flying squirrels in red cedar trees; have 

 seen them scamper from all kinds of birds' nests 

 that are located within arms' reach of the ground; 

 have found their storehouses in the hollow rails 

 of a fence; have dug the little animals out of the 

 burrows of other small creatures; and have even 

 caught them housekeeping in the walls of a round- 

 topped muskrat's hut situated in the center of a 

 frozen pond. Central Park probably shelters a 

 number of these little animals. A very superficial 

 survey disclosed one catbird's nest that had lately 

 been occupied by deer mice. Unlike the common 

 house mouse, 



THE WHITE-FOOTED MOUSE HAS NOT BEEN 



DEGRADED 



and contaminated by living with the lords of 

 creation; on the contrary, it avoids the habita- 

 tion of man, preferring the sweet nuts, seeds, and 

 berries of the woods to the refuse of the kitchen. 



