PART XIII. 

 STRANGE ANIMALS AND THEIR WAYS. 



MUSICAL MICE. 



1. In" this country we have several species of wood-mice, 

 often called white-footed mice, that have wonderful musi- 

 cal powers. They are diminutive things, not so large as 

 the house-mouse, their sides are yellowish-brown, the back 

 considerably darker, the abdomen and feet almost snowy- 

 white. Their home is the woods. With but little sympa- 

 thy for man, they will occasionally intrude for a time into 

 his dwelling, when, as I believe, the domestic mouse with- 

 draws. A friend of mine at his Florida home, near St. 

 Augustine, was disturbed at night by what he supposed 

 to be the chirping of birds in the chimney. The mystery 

 was cleared up in an unexpected way. A very small mouse 

 came up from a crevice in the hearth, and, with singular 

 boldness, took position in the middle of the sitting-room 

 floor. Here it sat up on its hind feet, and looked around 

 with the utmost confidence, all the time singing in a low, 

 soft, yet really warbling style. 



2. It paid the penalty of its temerity by being captured. 

 About a month after, this prodigy was intrusted to the 

 custody of the writer. Of course, it came introduced as a 

 "singing house-mouse." What was our astonishment at 

 recognizing in the little stranger a true Hesperomys, and 



