620 



HOMES WITHOUT HANDS. 



home, but enjoyed the advantage of the regular and high tem- 

 perature which proceeded from the body of the sitting hen, and 

 which was admirably adapted for the well-being of her young 

 family. 



The last example of a remarkable Mouse-nest is that which is 

 figured in the .accompanying illustration, and which was drawn 

 from the actual object. 



A number of empty bottles had been stowed away upon a 

 shelf, and among them was found one which was tenanted by a 

 Mouse. The little creature had considered that the bottle would 



Mouae-nest in a Bottle. 



afford a suitable home for her young, and had therefore conveyed 

 into it a quantity of bedding, which she made into a nest. The 

 bottle was filled with the nest, and the eccentric architect had 

 taken the precaution to leave a round hole corresponding to the 

 neck of the bottle. In this remarkable domicile the young were 

 placed ; and it is a fact worthy of notice that no attempt had been 

 made to shut out the light. Nothing would have been easier 

 than to have formed the cavity at the under side, so that the soft 

 materials of the nest would exclude the light ; but the Mouse 

 had simply formed a comfortable hollow for her young, and 

 therein she had placed her offspring. It is therefore evident that 

 the Mouse has no fear of light, but that it only chooses darkness 

 as a means of safety for its young. 



