Nest-Builders 



hollow interior is lined with vegetable down or some other 

 soft material. 



When the nest is temporarily untenanted or contains 

 young ones which the mother has left, for the time being, 

 to their own devices, there is apparently no entrance, for 

 the reason that the little door of the nest is covered, by 

 the mother mouse, with grass or with whatever material 

 is used in the construction of the nest. The trim little 

 sphere is usually attached to stout grass stems or to wheat, 

 occasionally even the branches of a low shrub or the leaf 

 stalks of a thistle may act as a support, but always the 

 nest is placed at some height from the ground. The 

 little mice are good climbers and very active, as may be 

 gathered from the fact that they gain a livelihood by 

 capturing bumble-bees and insects of the like kind. 

 Though so exquisite a nest-builder, the little harvest 

 mouse spends its winter in a hole below ground. 



Squirrels' nests, mainly by reason of their larger size, 

 are better known than the more finished home of the 

 harvest mouse. Though apparently roughly constructed, 

 closer inspection will show that the squirrel deftly weaves 

 together the twigs, leaves, grass and pieces of bark of 

 which its nest is composed. Moss and leaves form the 

 lining, and the whole structure is roughly spherical in 

 shape, with an opening at the side. The roof of the nest, 

 despite its apparent flimsiness, is absolutely rain-proof. 

 It is a peculiarity of squirrels that they build more than 

 one nest at a time, with what object it is not quite 

 clear. Should, however, the inhabited nest be disturbed 

 whilst tenanted by the young squirrels, the mother 

 promptly removes them one by one, in her mouth, to one 

 of the other nests, which may be nothing more or less 

 than a converted magpie's nest. 



The dormouse is a very neat little nest-builder. 

 Selecting a site in some shady bush, the industrious little 

 creature gathers together a store of dried grass and leaves 

 for the construction of its home. The completed structure 



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