THE MOUSE TRIBE. 



!43 



present day the European variety of this species is almost cosmopolitan ; but the 

 brown and rufous varieties extend from Northern Africa through India to Burma, 

 and are doubtless indigenous to both these regions. 



The black rat, in addition to its inferior size, is a far less ferocious animal 

 than the brown species, which accounts for the ease with which it has been 

 conquered by the latter. In England it is now comparatively rare — the Isle of 

 Dogs being one of its last strongholds; but it is more common in certain parts of 

 the Continent. In Europe its habits are generally very similar to those of the 

 brown rat : but in India it frequently ascends trees, where it makes its nests 

 among the branches ; while in some of the islands of the tropics it lives exclusively 

 in the crowns of the cocoanut palm, upon the fruit of which it feeds. 



THE HOUSE MOUSE (* nat. size). 



„ „ In Britain, from the absence of any species of intermediate size, 



House Mouse. .. ...... 



it is eas}' to distinguish between the rats, or larger species or the 



genus, and the smaller mice ; but in other countries it is impossible to draw any 

 line of distinction, and the two terms must consequently be employed in a some- 

 what arbitrary manner. The typical representative of the mice is the common 

 house mouse (M. musculus), which is now of almost world-wide distribution, 

 although probably originally a native of Asia, The characteristic features of this 

 species are its relatively large ears, long tail, and nearly uniform brownish colora- 

 tion, which is only slightly paler below than above. 



The distinctive peculiarity of this species is its partiality for human habitations 

 and their neighbourhood; its tastes being practically omnivorous, although its 



