477 
THE HARVEST MOUSE IN YORKSHIRE. 
OXLEY GRABHAM, M.A., M.B.O.U. 
For the last two or three years I have been endeavouring to 
discover whether the Harvest Mouse (Mus minutus Pallas, Mus 
messorius Shaw) is an inhabitant of our county; but so far, I am 
Sorry to say, the evidence has only been of a negative character. 
Tam afraid that most of the records are not to be entirely trusted, 
and in this Mr. Denison Roebuck agrees with me. I have often 
been told of harvest mice occurring, and have even had so-called 
specimens sent to me, but they have always turned out to be the 
Long-tailed Field Mouse (AZus s/yvaticus) ; still, I feel sure that in 
a county like ours, affording such a variety of geological formation, 
ete., the little animal must occur, and I shall be very glad if any 
readers of ‘The Naturalist’ can put the question beyond doubt. 
I have taken every species of British Mouse, with this exception, in 
the County, and I hope in time to find it also. They are most 
Interesting little animals to keep. I had twelve sent me from 
Norfolk Jast Winter, but unfortunately they had all been put into an 
empty cartridge box without any food, and when I got them, not 
only were they all dead, but only one was in a fit condition to stuff. 
They had fought and literally eaten-each other ; some were minus 
heads, others minus eyes, and all save one in a deplorable condition. 
A second lot of six fared better, as partitions were made in the box, 
and one mouse and some food placed in each division. I kept my 
mice in a large vivarium. I put some hay in, which they soon split 
Up and wove into a beautiful compact ball, and I placed a fresh sod 
of turf in €very ten days or so, in which they burrowed and took 
great delight. I found they preferred wheat to oats or barley, 
and they were fond of an occasional drink of water. With their 
prehensile tails they would climb about the hay which they had not 
made into a nest, and hang on just like monkeys. I gave them to 
my friend Mr. James Backhouse, and am glad to say they are alive 
and well. In colour they are a bright fawn above, distinctly reddish 
on the rump, pure white on the throat and belly, the colours being 
sharply defined, The nose is rather pointed, and the eyes bright 
and small, and they are the smallest of British mammals, with the 
