340 



THE RODENTS OR GNAWING ANIMALS. 



The Harvest The greatest skill of the Harvest 

 House an Mouse is displayed in another direc- 

 Artist. tion, however. It is an architect, 



such an one as has few equals among the lower 

 mammals — an artist which emulates the most ac- 

 complished of birds, for it builds a nest which far 

 surpasses all other mammalian nests in point of 

 beauty. The neat construction is so peculiar that it 

 would seem as if the Mouse had been taught its art 

 by a reed Snipe. According to the requirements of 

 the locality, the nest either stands on from twenty to 

 thirty blades of reed grass, the extremities of which 

 are split and intertwined so as to surround the nest 

 from all sides, or it is suspended from the branches 

 of a bush, or from a reed at a height of two or three 

 feet, looking as if it soared in the air. Its shape 

 most resembles a blunt egg — as, for instance, a par- 

 ticularly round Goose egg — which it also equals in 

 size. The outer covering usually consists of split 

 leaves of the reeds or of reed grass, the stems of 

 which form the foundation of the structure. The 

 Mouse takes every leaf between its teeth and pulls 

 it several times across their points which are sharp 

 as needles, until each leaf has been separated into 

 six, eight or ten parts, or, so to speak, into several 

 distinct threads; then these threads are intertwined 

 and interwoven with utmost care. The inside is 

 lined with various soft substances of woolly or mossy 

 texture, which are supplied by both the vegetable 

 and animal kingdoms, the animal sometimes using 

 hair or wool of beasts and sometimes buds and 

 leaves of trees, flowers, etc. A small opening leads 

 into the nest at one side, and if one puts his hand 

 into it he may feel how uniformly smooth and ex- 

 tremely soft the nest is above as well as below. 

 The component parts are so closely interwoven that 

 the nest has a very firm support. If the observer 

 compares the much less serviceable equipment of 

 the Mice for such work with the more useful and 

 available beak of the artist birds, he can not but 

 regard the nest with admiration, and will award the 

 work of the Harvest Mouse the palm for superiority 

 over the architecture of many a bird. The outside 

 of the nest is always formed from the leaves of the 

 plants upon which it is built. As a consequence of 

 this the nest is concealed from all but the closest 

 observation for the reason that its exterior assimi- 

 lates very closely the color of the foliage by which 

 it is surrounded. 

 Maternal Affec- If one 1S fortunate enough to be 

 tion in the present the first time the mother 

 Species. takes her little ones out, he has the 



opportunity of witnessing one of the most attractive 

 family pictures in mammalian life. Agile as the 

 members of the little crowd may be they have to 

 receive some instruction, and they are also a great 

 deal too much attached to the mother to wish for 

 immediate independence or to rush out into the dan- 

 gerous world. Therefore one little creature climbs 

 up this grass stem, another is suspended from the 

 next; again another chirps after the mother, while 

 one may still require lacteal sustenance from her; one 

 washes itself and dresses its fur, another has found a 

 little grain which it daintily holds between its fore- 

 paws and cracks open; the weakling restricts its 

 exploits to the inside of the nest, while the most 

 vigorous and courageous male has gone away farth- 

 est, and perhaps is already swimming in the water 

 below; in short, the entire family is actively engaged 

 and the mother is the central figure of it all, helping, 

 calling, leading, and protecting the whole society. 



Tractable to One can observe this graceful pic- 

 Captiu- ture at ease if he takes the whole 

 ' tu - nest home and puts it in a close wire 



cage. Harvest Mice are easily maintained on hemp 

 seed, oats, pears, sweet apples, meat and Flies, and 

 the trouble one takes is repaid a thousand times by 

 their many amusing traits. They make a pretty pic- 

 ture when one holds out a Fly to them. All pounce 

 upon it in great bounds, endeavor to seize it with 

 their paws, and lift it to their mouths; and the ani- 

 mal which succeeds in capturing it kills it with all 

 the ferocity of a Lion slaughtering an Ox. Captive 

 young Mice become very tame, but with advancing 

 age their shyness returns, if their owner does not 

 very frequently fondle them, and thus keep a sense 

 of companionship constantly alive in them. 



INDIGENOUS AMERICAN MICE. 



The Mouse family, with the two hundred and fifty or more 

 species, has a number of American representatives in addition 

 to the immigrant Common Mouse, which has gained a very 

 strong foothold, and is now distributed all over this country. 

 The indigenous American Mice compose a distinct sub-family 

 (Hesperomys) in which are very many distinct species. The 

 typical representative of this family is the White-footed Mouse 

 (Hesperomys leucopus). It is about three or four inches long, 

 has a fawn colored fur above and is white pn the under portion 

 and on the feet; has large eyes with circular pupils, large 

 rounded ears, graceful limbs, cheek pouches to carry its food, 

 and a well shaped head and muzzle on which is a luxuriant 

 growth of long whisker hairs. The movements of this pretty 

 animal are quick and full of grace, befitting the woodland life 

 it leads, but it sometimes invades dwellings and especially out- 

 houses. There are several local varieties of this Mouse. 



An especially handsome species is that of the Golden Mouse 

 (Hesperomys aureolus) with its striking fur of a golden brown 

 above and yellowish white on the under part. This animal is 

 only found in the central and southern states. Many other 

 species are known including the dark colored Michigan Mouse 

 (Hesperomys michiganensis); the large Californian Mouse (Hes- 

 peromys califomicus) with nearly naked tail and ears', which is 

 a large species; and the Missouri Mole Mouse (Hesperomys 

 leucogaster), a short-tailed variety. The Rice-field Mouse 

 (Hesperomys oryzomys) is the largest of American Mice, large 

 specimens of which attain a length of five inches. It has a 

 dark grizzly color on the back and sides, but the under portion 

 and the feet are snow-white. There are numerous other spe- 

 cies of American Mice, but those named are the best known. 

 As to habits, the description of those of the Common Mouse is 

 about equally applicable to the indigenous American animals. 



THE HAMSTERS. 



The Hamsters comprise the last sub-family ( Cri- 

 cetince). They are Mice of more or less clumsy form 

 and sometimes of large size; their upper lips are cleft 

 and they are provided with large cheek pouches and 

 three molars in each jaw. 



The principal anatomic characteristics of the best 

 known species {Cricetus) are: a clumsy, sturdy body, 

 a very short tail scantily covered with hair, and 

 short limbs. There are sixteen teeth and two pairs 

 of remarkably large gnawing teeth. The species 

 usually dwell in corn fields in the fertile parts of 

 temperate Europe, Asia and America. They dig 

 deep burrows composed of several compartments in 

 which they store provisions in autumn, and in these 

 burrows they spend their lives, the joys and sorrows 

 of which we can best ascertain by investigating the 

 habits and occupations of the Common Hamster. 



The Common Hamster (Cricetus frumentarius or 

 vulgaris) is rather good looking in appearance, but 

 its temper is ugly, sulky and irritable; it is also very 

 pugnacious. The animal attains a total length of 

 about twelve inches, about two of which are in- 

 cluded in the tail. The color of the upper parts is 

 usually a light brownish yellow, with a surface tinge 

 of gray. The under parts, the inner and outer sur- 



