136 THE MOUSE. 
and is a very much more educatable animal than could be supposed. It will 
obey its master’s commands with promptitude, and has been known to learn 
very curious tricks. 
For further information on this subject the reader is referred to a work 
published by Messrs. Routledge and Co., entitled “The Rat,” by James 
Rodwell, in which may be found an elaborate account of the animal and its 
habits, together with much curious and original information. 
“Yy* little vulgar MOUSE,” as it is quaintly termed by old Topsel, is a truly 
pretty little creature, with its brown-grey back, grey throat and abdomen, soft 
velvety fur, its little bright black bead-like eyes, and squirrel-like paws. A 
detailed description of so familiar 
an animal would be quite unneces- 
sary, and we will therefore proceed 
to its habits and manners. 
Like the rat, it frequents both 
town and country, doing an infinity 
of damage in the former, but com- 
paratively little harm in the latter. 
In the country it attaches itself 
—eF i mostly to farmyards, where it gains 
THE MOUSE.—(Mus Muisculus.) access to the ricks, and, when once 
firmly established, is not so easily 
dislodged as its larger relative the rat. However, if the rick be kept under 
cover, the Mice cannot make any lengthened stay, for the cover keeps off the 
rain, on which they chiefly depend for drink, and they are then obliged to 
leave the stack in search of water. If the rick be placed on staddles, it will 
then be safe from these little pests. 
They are odd little animals, and full of the quaintest gamesomeness, 
as may be seen by anyone who will only sit quite still and watch them 
as they run about a room which they specially affect. They are to the 
full as inquisitive as cats, and will examine any new piece of furniture with 
great curiosity. 
The Mouse is a marvellously prolific animal, producing its young several 
times in the course of the year, and ata very early age. The nests are made 
in any sheltered spot, and formed from any soft substance, such as rags, 
paper, or wool, that the mother can procure. 
SMALLEST, and perhaps the prettiest, of the British mammalia, the elegant 
little HARVEST MOUSE next claims our attention. The totallength ofthis tiny 
creature is not quite five inches, its tail being nearly two inches and a half in 
length. The colour of its fur is a delicate reddish brown, the base of each 
hair taking the darker tint and the point warming into red, while the under 
parts of the abdomen are white. The line of demarcation between the brown 
and white is well defined. 
The description which is given of the Harvest Mouse and its wonderful 
nest, by the Rev. Gilbert White, is so well known that it need only be 
casually mentioned. I have fortunately had opportunities of verifying his 
observations by means of a nest which was found in a field in Wiltshire by 
some mowers. 
Independently of its small size, the Harvest Mouse may be distinguished 
from a young ordinary Mouse by its short ears, narrow head, slender body, 
and less projecting eyes. 
THE short, sturdy, stupid rodent which is so famous under the name of 
the HAMSTER is widely spread over many parts of Northern Europe, where 
it is an absolute pest to the agriculturists, who wage unceasing war against 
so destructive an animal. Before proceeding to the habits and character 
mia 
