130 MARVELS OF THE ANIMAL WORLD 



Another of the dormouse family, known as the 

 squirrel-dormouse (Myoxus glis), and found in 

 Southern Europe, is an interesting species inasmuch 

 as in olden days the Romans made a practice of 

 keeping and fattening it for the table. It attains 

 to a total measurement of about ten or eleven 

 inches, and receives its name on account of the 

 bushy nature of its tail. Like the common 

 dormouse, the animal constructs a nest for the 

 accommodation of its young ; this, however, being 

 situated within the cavity of a tree, in the cleft of 

 a rock, or in the deserted burrow of another creature, 

 but never in the midst of bushes. 



A somewhat similar species to the foregoing is 

 the garden dormouse (Myoxus nitela), so called 

 because of its habit of frequenting gardens and 

 orchards. The female brings forth her young 

 within a nest which she sometimes makes herself, 

 while at other times the discarded home of a 

 thrush, blackbird, or squirrel may be com- 

 mandeered. 



Even the familiar house mouse is quite an expert 

 in the making of a nest, for by utilising pieces of 

 paper, straw, cloth, leaves, string, chips of wood, 

 etc., which the creature bites up into small pieces, 

 it forms a warm and comfortable bed whereon to 

 repose. 



An interesting little beast, known as the jumping 

 mouse (Zapus hudsonianus), is to be found in North 

 America. It possesses very long hind legs, enabling 

 it to take a leap covering a distance of as much 

 as eight or ten feet in length. Following the 



