HOUSE MOUSE 



Thus, the wee timorous Mouse, that clean, elegant 

 little rodent which so delights in human habitations, 

 where it pays constant visits to the food cupboard, is 

 looked upon with fear and scorn by the very people 

 who remind us, as they walk about, of a horrible 

 show-case at a museum, where one too often sees 

 wild animals displayed in a manner very untrue to 

 Hfe. 



Less in length, by about one and a quarter inches, 

 than the species last under review (the Wood Mouse 

 measuring eight inches, including the long tail), the 

 House Mouse is known also by its greyish-brown upper 

 parts and lighter colour underneath. It does not solely 

 resort to dwelling houses, as we have caught it in fields 

 in the very heart of the country. Its extraordinary 

 power of movement is well known. Upon this it 

 depends for protection, and many exciting hunts, even 

 when the odds are all against the active little beasts' 

 escape, often end in failure to the pursuer. 



The House Mouse reproduces with alarming rapidity, 



the well-made nest being composed of almost any kind 



of material that is available. In this comfortable abode 



from five to seven young are born, and at first they are 



naked and blind. After the fourteenth day the young 



Mice are able to shift for themselves, and, as the parents 



soon think of making preparations for another litter, the 



young are allowed to earn their own living, and to form 



homes of their own in double-quick time. The domestic 



Cat is, as is well known, one of the Mouse's greatest 



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