456 



THE BARB ART 310 USE. 



wall, and re-arranged the gap from the outside. It may be that the nest is the joint work of 

 both sexes, the one remaining inside and plaiting the grass, while her mate brings fresh mate- 

 rial, and consolidates the work from the exterior. 



Perhaps the young Mice, when snugly packed into their airy cradle, may be fed by the 

 mother from the exterior, by making a temporary opening opposite each little one, and 

 replacing the material when she proceeds to the next in succession. This is Mr. White's sug- 

 gestion, and seems to be a very probable one. He also wonders how the little nest, which was 

 entirely filled by the bodies of the eight young Harvest Mice that lay cradled in its embrace, 

 could expand so as to accommodate itself to their increasing dimensions. This problem may 

 be answered by the fact that the loose 

 structure of the nest is precisely calcu- 

 lated for such extension, for the materials 

 are so interwoven that the entire struc- 

 ture can be greatly expanded from the 

 interior without losing its spherical shape. 

 Such, at all events, was the case in my own 

 specimen, and is probably so in all. 



Very little is known of the habits of 

 the Harvest Mouse in a wild state, except 

 that it is destructive to corn, whether 

 stored in ricks or "barns. It is also car- 

 nivorous, or rather insectivorous, to no 

 small degree, as was proved by Mr. Bing- 

 ley, who kept one of these little creatures, 

 and was accustomed to feed it with vari- 

 ous insects. This propensity was discov- 

 ered by mere accident, the Mouse springing 

 with wonderful activity at a blue-bottle 

 fly that happened to buzz against the wires 

 of her cage. Taking the hint, Mr. Bing- 

 ley caught the fly, and holding it against 

 the wires, was pleased to see the little 

 quadruped dart nimbly out of her hiding- 

 place and take it from his fingers. She 

 always preferred insects to vegetable food. 

 The same observer noticed that the tail of 

 this animal is prehensile. 



Independently of its small size, the Harvest Mouse may be distinguished from a young 

 ordinary Mouse by its short ears, narrow head, slender body, and less projecting eyes. 



BARBARY MOUSE— Mat barbarut. 



The bold and elegant markings with which the fur of the Barbary Mouse is decorated, 

 render it a very conspicuous animal, and when the creature is in captivity, always attract the 

 attention of visitors who happen to pass before its cage. 



The dimensions of this animal are greater than those of the common Mouse, while they 

 are smaller than those of the ordinary rat. Its color is very pleasing, the ground tint of the 

 fur being a rich brown, and the stripes of a whitish-yellow, verging by degrees into the white 

 hue of the under portions of the body. These pretty creatures are tolerably hardy, and can 

 endure our climate as well as most animals which have been brought from a hot and arid 

 country. They run about their cage with considerable liveliness, sometimes diving among 

 their bedding, and ever and anon poking their intelligent-looking little heads from among the 

 hay, and tripping about as if pleased to exhibit their beautiful fur. As may be supposed from 

 its title, the animal is a native of Barbary. 



It is not devoid of the carnivorous habits of its race, and even when bountifully supplied 



