WILD MICE 113 



inch, and his chips strewed the snow all about. 

 He knew what was in there, and the mice knew 

 that he knew ; hence their apparent consterna- 

 tion. They had rushed wildly about over the 

 snow, and, I doubt not, had given the piratical red 

 squirrel a piece of their minds. A few yards away 

 the mice had a hole down into the snow, which 

 perhaps led to some snug den under the ground. 

 Hither they may have been slyly removing their 

 stores while the squirrel was at work with his 

 back turned. One more night and he would 

 effect an entrance : what a good joke upon him 

 if he found the cavity empty ! These native 

 mice, I imagine, have to take many precautions 

 to prevent their winter stores being plundered 

 by the squirrels, who live, as it were, from hand 

 to mouth. 



The wild mice are fond of bees and of 

 honey, and they apparently like nothing better 

 than to be allowed to take up their quarters in 

 winter in some vacant space in a hive of bees. 

 A chamber just over the bees seems to be pre- 

 ferred, as here they get the benefit of the 

 warmth generated by the insects. One very 

 cold -winter I wrapped up one of my hives with 

 a shawl. Before long I noticed that the shawl 

 was beginning to have a very torn and tattered 

 appearance. On examination, I found that a 



