574 MURID^— MICROMYS 



These were all in a short time carried away, and on a second 

 examination, he found them "stored up in the manner of the 

 former. But though the animal was well supplied with 

 other food, and particularly with bread, which it seemed very 

 fond of, and although it continued perfectly active through the 

 whole winter, on examining its nest a third time, about the 

 end of November," he observed " that the food in its repository 

 was all consumed, except about half-a-dozen grains." Much 

 of the animal's work of transporting the grass for its nest must 

 have been done during the night. 



Captives lap milk and water (Bingley, op. cit., 268 ; Harting, 

 op. cit.; and Millais, ii., 180). 



The voice is said to be not pitched so high as that of the 

 House Mouse, and to be rather " a harsh grating chirp than 

 a squeak."^ Mrs Brightwen^ says that sometimes "in their 

 great happiness they make a low, sweet chirping like a com- 

 pany of wrens conversing cheerily together." 



Harvest Mice are very difficult to trap, and are usually 

 caught by hand when leaving or entering their nests ; this 

 accounts for the dearth of really mature material noticed 

 above. Their numbers, like those of "voles " and Field Mice, 

 are subject to annual fluctuations, and in a " mouse year," at 

 least on the Continent, they may form a considerable proportion 

 of the total rodent population.^ When present in large numbers, 

 they are capable of causing much damage to crops despite 

 their diminutive size ; but their ravages are largely compensated 

 by their insectivorous tastes. 



As regards its longevity, Bingley's specimens lived for two 

 and a quarter years in confinement, while Mrs Brightwen's* 

 specimens began to die after two years' captivity ; the longest 

 lived one of ten kept at the Zoological Gardens remained there 

 for thirty-three months.^ 



1 G. T. Rope, op. cit., 1884, 57. a Op. cit., 138. 



'^ Schlegel, Zoologist, 1881, 234 ; Blasius, op. cit., 329 ; Landois, op. cit., 163 ; and 

 S. A. Poppe, op. cit., supra. 



* Loc. cit. s P. Chalmers Mitchell, Proc. Zool. Soc, igii, 448. 



