Characteristics, Origin, and History 5 



No other accurate measurements of the strength, endurance, 

 or hardiness of the dancer are available. They are usually 

 supposed to be weak and delicate, but my own observations 

 cause me to regard them as exceptionally strong in certain 

 respects and weak in others. 



What the Japanese have to say about the dancing mouse 

 is of special importance because Japan is rather commonly 

 supposed to be its home. For this reason, as well as because 

 of the peculiar interest of the facts mentioned, I quote at 

 length from Doctor Kishi (21 p. 457). " The dancing mouse 

 has received in Europe this name which it does not bear in 

 its own home, because of the fact that the circular move- 

 ments which it makes are similar to the European (human) 

 dance. Sometimes it is also called the Japanese or Chinese 

 mouse ; originally, however, China must have been its home, 

 since in Japan it is mostly called l Nankin nesumij the mouse 

 from Nankin. When this animal came from China to Japan 

 I shall inquire at a later opportunity. There were origi- 

 nally in Japan two different species of mouse, the gray and 

 the white; therefore in order to distinguish our dancing 

 mouse from these it was necessary to use the name of its 

 native city. 



"In Japan, as in Europe, the animal lives as a house 

 animal in small cages, but the interest which is taken in it 

 there is shown in quite another way than in Europe, where 

 the whirling movements, to which the name dancing mouse 

 is due, are of chief interest. For this reason in Europe it is 

 given as much room as possible in its cage that it may dance 

 conveniently. In Japan also the circular movements have 

 been known for a long time, but this has had no influence 

 upon our interest in the animal, for the human fashion of 

 dancing with us is quite different from that in Europe. What 

 has lent interest to the creature for us are its prettiness, its 



