

NATURAL HISTORY MISCELLANY. 551 
A Sıxac Mouse. — Within the last year I have seen several items in 
the papers, to the effect that **singing mice" had been caught in different 
parts of the country, and as the existence of such musicians seems to ex- 
cite interest, I propose to give an account of one that lived with us about 
ars ago. 
It was in September, 1866, at Newburgh, N. Y., I had noticed in pne of 
the rooms occupied by my family, for several evenings, a fine, chirping 
sound, so persistent and monotonous as to be annoying, and had sup- 
posed it to proceed from one of the small cicadz that, at that season, had 
full possession of the shade trees that surrounded the house. Several 
times I endeavored to find the insect, but ineffectually, the noise seeming 
to come from different parts of the room, sometimes high in the wall, 
sometimes on the floor, and ceasing altogether while I was endeavoring 
hout 
my being able to learn whence the sound proceeded. At last it invaded 
my bedroom, which adjoined the other, and for an hour or two together, 
on one particular night, made sleep impossible. It chanced next morn- 
ning as I was dressing, the same note issued from an enclosed verandah, 
one to another, till, on lifting gently the lower edge of the canvas cover 
of one of them, I saw the tail of a mouse protruding. He scampered 
away to another hiding place, from which forthwith the same notes came. 
Ileft the mouse in peace that day, but devised means to entrap him the 
following night. And sure enough, somewhere about midnight, I waked 
to hear the same continuous chirping, and presently heard the click of 
the trap. In the morning the children were greatly excited, and soon 
found an old dormouse cage, brought from London years ago, made like . 
à squirrel cage with wheel and sleeping box, but all on a scale suitable 
for mice or dormice, which are alike feeble folks. The captive seemed 
pleased with his quarters, and soon manifested his content at the quality 
and regularity of his rations, by singing his unvarying tune at all hours, 
He warbled after the manner of a minute bird, the throat swelling and 
vibrating, the mouth closed or nearly so, and the lips in incessant rapid 
motion, like those of a rabbit. There was nothing like the imitation 
there had ever been a canary in the house. Nor was there anything that 
could strictly be called a song. The sound was thin, satin but slightly 
varied, and altogether more like that emitted by an insect 
pgp pean m Wan and familiar with the presence of ny of the fam- 
; ily. s he became much less restless than at first, was 
aeta getting p ee lazy, would not take a run in the wheel unless 
driven to it, and spent a good part of the day sleeping in his little room. 
In this he hoarded his food in such quantity as to seem to the children 
