86 



THE NATURE BOOK 



have had its effect on the respective 

 positions of the Mice (the Harvest Mouse 

 would tend to go aloft), but there could 



NEST OF A HARVEST MOUSE. 



be no question as to the first-floor position 

 of the Weasel nursery. 



I have already described the character- 

 istic white 0) which borders the upper 

 lip of the Harvest Mouse. I may, per- 

 haps, add a few further remarks as to 

 their colour generally, which can only 

 be feebly suggested by photographs, and 

 as to the remarkable — indeed, unique — 

 quality of their tails. 



The infant Harvest Mouse (I have 

 brought up a litter of seven in captivity) 

 follows the general rule among Mice in 



being a dingy sepia tint, and taking three 

 weeks or so to find his legs (and tail). 

 The coat of the adult is singularly beau- 

 tiful. The under surface is pure 

 white, purer, I think, than is to 

 be found in any other British 

 animal. The upper parts shade 

 from a sand}' red to a warm rich 

 orange, and between upper and 

 under parts there is a remark- 

 ably abrupt demarcation. 



The orange tint is well 

 described by Mr. Harting as 

 " focussed on the hind quarters," 

 but it is noticeable on the flanks 

 and cheeks also. 



Contrary to the general rule, the 

 coat appears more brilhant in the 

 winter. This may perhaps be ac- 

 counted for by a slight bleaching of 

 the sandy portions, which throws 

 the orange into strong relief. The 

 orange tint seems to be wanting 

 in Japanese specimens. 



The eye of the Harvest ]\Iouse 

 is distinctly small, his ears are 

 short (for a Mouse) and lie close 

 to his head. A full-face view of 

 him reminds one strongly of a 

 Red-backed Meadow Mouse. Ow- 

 ing to a somewhat blunted nose, 

 his head appears thicker and 

 broader in proportion to his body 

 than that of a House Mouse. His 

 nose is fleshy and very pink. 

 This, I think, is the only draw- 

 back to his beauty. 



For a long time the Harvest 

 ]\Iouse was considered the smallest 

 British animal (an average speci- 

 men measures about 60 milli- 

 metres, exclusive of his tail) ; but 

 the discovery of the Pygmy Shrew 

 Mouse, whose corresponding measurement 

 is about 45 millimetres, deprived him of 

 this distinction, and the Lesser Horse- 

 shoe Bat (head and body, 37 millimetres) 

 would, I think, weigh less than either. 



The Harvest Mouse weighs from a 

 si.xth to a quarter of an ounce. A score 

 of him could go by post for a penny, and 

 ten of him wiU pack into a cocoanut, 

 — less than three inches any way — and 

 sit there happily for hours. The tail of 

 the Harvest Mouse is unique among 

 British tails in being prehensile. The 



