THE DORMOUSE 



10- 



this heat is supplied by the slow com- 

 bustion of fat amassed during the sum- 

 mer, as convincing. It is by no means 

 certain that hibernating animals lose 

 weight normally, and it is difficult to see 

 how, in the absence of respiration, per- 

 spiration and excretion, the products of 

 such combustion are got rid of. 



It would seem more reasonable 

 to suppose that Nature has de- 

 vised some scheme of utilising 

 inside the animal the consider- 

 able heat which becomes latent 

 when the animal, in the ordinary 

 course of its existence, is breath- 

 ing or perspiring. 



There is no doubt, I think, 

 that the distribution of the Dor- 

 mouse is primarily governed by 

 the same causes as those which 

 determine the distribution of the 

 Harvest Mouse. He has a short 

 breeding season (August and Sep- 

 tember), and he builds an exposed 

 nest above ground level. So long 

 as his young are hairless they re- 

 quire warm, dry surroundings. 



His breeding-nest is more sub- 

 stantial than that of the Harvest 

 Mouse, and, since the absence of 

 sunshine is not of much concern 

 to him, it is not surprising to find 

 that in Wales he ranges westward 

 of the three-inch August-Septem- 

 ber rainfall. The four-inch line, 

 however, checks him. 



The normal winter sleep of the 

 Dormouse commences in late Oc- 

 tober and lasts till April. His 

 progress northward has naturally 

 stopped where the mean October 

 temperature falls below 50*^ F. 



He is therefore unknown in Scotland, 

 and rare north of the Midlands. 



Mr. Forrest has studied the breeding 

 habits of the Dormouse, and finds that 

 " the doe constructs a fairly large nest 

 for the reception of her family, placing 

 it either in a hedge or in a hazel or 

 other small tree, especially such as are 

 draped with hanging masses of honcv- 

 suckle."* 



This preference lor honevsuckle is 

 curious ; the plant may be seen in my 

 photograph of a nest. It is possible that 



* " Fauna of North Wales," H. E. Forrest. 



14 



the mother may find honeysuckle a good 



tonic. 



^^ Mr. Forrest proceeds to tell us that 



" the buck constructs himself a separate 



nest within a few yards." The picture 



of father-mouse being relegated to the 



spare room is delightful. One would like 



NEST OF DORMOUSE IN FURZE-BUSH IN WHICH HONEY- 

 SUCKLE IS ENTWINED. 



to think of the pair supervising the 

 construction of the youngsters' winter 

 quarters, and of a general reunion in 

 the spring, but facts, I fear, are 

 against it. 



The winter nests are quite separate 

 from the breeding nests, and never con- 

 tain more than one tenant. Cases have 

 been known of the adaptation of an old 

 birds' nest, but generally they are situ- 

 ated about ground level, and composed 

 of moss and fairly substantial leaves. 



The Dormouse does not look like 

 a jumper. One misses the muscular 



