102 The Naturalist in Siluria. 



Iq such situations they also sleep soundly and heavily/ 

 unlike the sleep of ordinary animals, but, as a rule, only 

 in the day. And if near a fire, never for any great length 

 of time, its duration seemingly dependent on the tem- 

 perature around them. If cold, they slumber on; if 

 warm, they will awake. 



I have much more to say about this most interesting 

 quadruped ; but, as my note has already outrun the allotted 

 space, I must leave it over till another opportunity. 



A OAGBD DORMOUSE. 



On the 23rd of May a bark-stripper brought me a dor- 

 mouse which he had captured in Penyard Wood, and in 

 its nest. This was fixed high up in a bunch of broad- 

 leaved grass, known to the woodmen as " deer-grass," 

 and was composed partly of the grass blades and partly 

 of leaves of trees. Though a nest of the present year, 

 strange to say, the Dormouse was not a young one, instead 

 an old male, and wide awake when taken. The stripper 

 tells me he has never known of an old one thus caught in 

 the nest. As the latter was rather open at the top, con- 

 trary to what is usual, it may have been unfinished, and 

 the animal in the act of adding to it. 



Placed in a common bird-cage, and food offered it — 

 shelled hazel-nuts and canary-seed — it refused to eat 

 while under observation, showing shy and frightened. 

 At night, however, when left to itself, it consumed a por- 

 tion of both the nuts and seeds. Next day other eatables 

 were introduced into the cage — lettuce, sorrel, and 

 groundsel — all of which it ate, apparently with a relish. 



