192 In Touch with Nature. 



considerably more aquatic, and when they stood 

 erect and squeaked shrilly, they recalled the shy 

 woodchucks when raiding a field of clover. It is 

 safe to presume that the superabundance of food 

 has to do with their plumpness, and possibly the 

 brine has reddened their fur. What do they eat ? 

 I had no means of determining, for every one 

 kept beyond my reach, and possibly dissection of 

 a dozen victims would have thrown no light on 

 the subject. To question the old baymen was a 

 loss of time. As if they had nothing to do but 

 look after mice. At last, however, I got this 

 piece of information, if it was not an attempt to 

 humbug. He said, "They go crabbin' on the 

 ma'sh at low tide." Whether this means that they 

 are on the mud-flats at that time, and so associ- 

 ated with certain Crustacea, or are really in pursuit 

 of them, others must determine. Not one — and I 

 saw several — went crabbing while I lingered on 

 the " ma'sh." There were spidery crabs enough 

 to feed all the mice in Jersey, and all the world 

 knows these rodents are carnivorous as cats, in 

 spite of their teeth. I have never had a caged 

 mouse or squirrel that had not a pronounced 



