THE DANCING MOUSE 



CHAPTER I 

 CHARACTERISTICS, ORIGIN, AND HISTORY 



THE variety of mouse which is known as the Japanese 

 dancing or waltzing mouse has been of special interest to 

 biologists and to lovers of pets because of its curious move- 

 ments. Haacke in Brehm's "Life of Animals" (7 p. 337) 1 

 writes as follows concerning certain mice which were brought 

 to Europe from China and Japan: "From time to time a 

 Hamburg dealer in animals sends me two breeds of common 

 mice, which he calls Chinese climbing mice (Chinesische 

 Klettermause) and Japanese dancing mice (Japanische 

 Tanzmause). It is true that the first are distinguished only 

 by their different colors, for their climbing accomplishments 

 are not greater than those of other mice. The color, how- 

 ever, is subject to many variations. Besides individuals 

 of uniform gray, light yellow, and white color, I have had 

 specimens mottled with gray and white, and blue and white. 

 Tricolored mice seem to be very rare. It is a known fact that 

 we also have white, black, and yellow mice and occasionally 

 pied ones, and the Chinese have profited by these variations 

 of the common mouse also, to satisfy their fancy in breeding 

 animals. The Japanese, however, who are no less enthu- 

 siastic on this point, know how to transform the common 



1 The reference numbers, of which 7 is an example, refer to the numbers 

 in the bibliographic list which precedes this chapter. 

 B I 



