OUR MOUSE, JIM 57 



which the mouse never saw fit to gnaw through. 

 There was a wire handle at the top, and a wire 

 door in one side, near the bottom. This door was 

 of such a size that the top of a glass fruit jar ex- 

 actly fitted into it. The cost of the cage was fifty 

 cents. A tinner made it for us. 



As often as the cage needed cleaning, Jim was 

 tempted by some dainty to go into a two-quart 

 jar whose mouth had been put into the door of 

 the cage. Once in there, the top of the jar was 

 put on lightly, and the cage was cleaned. Jim, 

 almost without fail, gave himself a thorough clean- 

 ing while in this jar. Standing on his hind paws, 

 he lapped his little pink hands, and then proceeded, 

 much as a cat does, to clean very carefully all 

 parts of his body, his hands returning to his mouth 

 frequently. 



In the meantime the cage had been washed out 

 thoroughly and dried, and a double piece of paper 

 a foot wide but several inches longer was put into 

 the cage, so .that one side folded over, forming a 

 roof for a retiring room. Jim had asked for this 

 room in this way: At first we cut the paper a 

 foot square. Jim would invariably push up one 

 side of the paper and go under it when he wished 



