io6 



THE NATURE BOOK 



development of the hind legs, which is 

 so noticeable in the Field Mouse and 

 the Squirrel. The dil^ercnce. I think, 

 is merely an external one, and is due to 

 the fact that the looseness of his skin, and 

 the shortness of his feet and hands, 

 which appear to issue straight from the 

 fur, conceal to some extent the true set 

 of his limbs. He has enormous muscles 

 on the shoulder and upper arm, as well 

 as on the thighs. The feet and hands 

 are stoutlv built. In the latter the pads 

 at the finger-tips and between the bases 



NUTS GNAWED BY MICE. 



Upper row gnawed by Long-tailed Field Mouse. Middle row by 



Dormouse. Lower row by Red-backed Meadow Mouse. 



of the fingers are rather small, but the 

 two at the wrist are extremely large, 

 and the shortness of the palm brings 

 all ten ]mds close together, forming an 

 excellent cushion on which to land his 

 weight. The pads of his hind feet, owing 

 to the shortness of the sole, coalesce in a 

 similar way. 



For a non-burrowing animal, he has a 

 well-developed collar-bone ; and his in- 

 ternal structure renders it impossible for 

 him ever to fall a victim to ai)i)en- 

 dicitis. 



His eyes are extremely large and beau- 

 tiful, i)rojecting strongly from the head 

 and ptjssessing probably an even greater 

 range of vision than those of the Field 

 Mouse, rt is interesting in this connection 

 to note that the Dormouse does not crouch 

 and dcj)ress the nape of his neck when 

 frightened. Flight is his first impulse. 



Being essentially a twilight beastie the 

 Dormouse is seldom seen abroad, and the 

 first clue that one has to his presence 

 in a garden (he is fond of gardens) is the 

 iU-hris of his meals. The nut which the 

 Dormouse has eaten is unmistakable. 

 Squirrels, Field Mice, and Red-backed 

 ]\Ieadow Mice attack their nuts impetu- 

 ously. The Squirrel scarcely troubles to 

 gnaw at all. A scratch or two gives him 

 a tooth-hold. Then he bites sharply. 

 Often the shell splits cleanly in two 

 portions. Sometimes it needs a second 

 bite. The whole action is im- 

 patient. 



The methods of the Field 

 Mouse and Meadow Mouse re- 

 semble each other. Both gnaw 

 somewhat at random, and will 

 sometimes leave a spot where 

 the\- have reached the kernel, and 

 give themselves the additional 

 labour of making another en- 

 trance. This is largely due to 

 the fact that they fumble with 

 the nut, and do not lift it. 

 If all goes well, however, their 

 first incision is near the pointed 

 end of the nut, and from this 

 their working spreads irregularly. 

 They gnaw a certain space, eat 

 as much as they can reach, and 

 then gnaw on. 



The Dormouse is more work- 

 manlike. He sits back on his 

 haimches and lifts the nut between his 

 hands. Usually he holds it with the 

 ])oint towards himself, and in\'ariably, I 

 think, he commences at the edge of the 

 circular patch. 



The finished hole is remarkably regular. 

 In a fat, round nut it is circular, in a 

 long, thin nut it is elliptical. The dia- 

 meter, when circular, and the long diameter, 

 when elli])tical, are strictly pro])orti()nal to 

 the dimensions of the nut, and a series of 

 measurements has shown me that with a 

 hole of 7 millimetres diameter, and a depth 

 of not more than double this from the 

 edge of the hole to the uttermost parts of 

 the nut, the Dormouse can manage the 

 entire kernel. Considering that a hole of 

 this size only admits his nose to the 

 extent of about 6 millimetres, one cannot 

 but admire his skill and wonder how he 

 does it. Douglas English. 



