MICE AND RATS. 187 



Had not one of the adult females made its escape in the 

 beginning of June this record of the number of young pro- 

 duced by a couple of Wood-Mice in less than five months 

 would probably have been still larger. " During April," writes 

 the narrator, " we had twelve to twenty Mice, young and old, 

 in the nest; they all slept together, and it was certainly a 

 curious sight to see fathers, mothers, and children of all ages 

 and sizes in the nest, the young of different ages suckling the 

 same mother at the same time, and the mothers appearing to 

 suckle each other's young indiscriminately.'' 



To counteract this extreme prolificness, it is fortunate that 

 the Wood-Mouse has a large number of enemies. Foremost 

 amongst these are Kestrels, Owls, Stoats, and Weasels ; while 

 many of these Mice are killed by Foxes, which seem especially 

 fond of them and their cousins the Voles. Rooks and Crows 

 are also stated to aid in the extermination of these pests by 

 digging up the nests and young with their strong beaks ; while 

 several other of the larger birds probably occasionally assist in 

 the destruction. 



Mr. Trevor-Battye writes : — " In the dry summer of 1893 the 

 Black-headed Gulls breeding on Scoulton Mere (as I was as- 

 sured by the keeper), frequently brought ' Mice ' to their 

 nests, killing them by dropping them from a height. The 

 Mice were probably of this species.'' 



The Wood-Mouse is as readily tamed as the Dormouse, 

 and will soon learn to permit itself to be handled without re- 

 sentment, although it always displays considerable timidity. 

 Specimens have been kept in confinement for upwards of two 

 years. 



It may be mentioned t^at some imperfect lower jaws ob- 

 tained from the "forest-bed" of the Norfolk coast are apparently 

 referable to the present species. 



