FIELD MICE 



at any rate it so seemed to Aunt and I, where- 

 fore we named him " Deacon," and his little 

 mate, because of her soft gray garb, we called 

 " Quaker." Both were very cunning little ob- 

 jects, their bodies being scarcely two and a half 

 inches in length and their tails were nearly as 

 long as their bodies. Their heads were large, 

 with tiny bead-like, black eyes, little rounded 

 ears and graceful black whiskers. The under 

 parts were shaded into a pinkish white and their 

 dainty little feet were pink on the under side. 



Most of my leisure moments for some time 

 after these dear little pets came into my posses- 

 sion were spent in an endeavor to get acquainted 

 with their mysterious and cunning habits. I 

 often aroused them from their midday nap in 

 my eagerness to learn whether they were still 

 alive and all right. Deacon and Quaker soon 

 grew accustomed to their new home. They 

 finally set to work and began tearing the grass 

 and leaves into fine strips ; then they wove them 

 into a rounded, somewhat compressed form, with 

 an open space in the center and with two small 

 openings to the outside. In this soft and won- 

 derfully constructed bed they would while away 

 [37] 



