No. 421. KANGAROO RATS IN CAPTIVITY. I 
5 
common house mouse. Sitting up like a kangaroo, it will 
vigorously, and with both fore paws, dust its nose and face for 
a few seconds, when, with equal alacrity, it will pass to a 
general scratch of its sides and back, terminating the operation 
by starting at the root of its long and stout tail and rapidly pass- ` 
ing the entire appendage through its fore paws to the very tip, 
-while it is, as it were, at the same time briskly titillated with 
the lips and teeth at the front of the mouth. It is very amus- 
ing to observe the evident satisfaction it has in performing 
this act. 
In addition to preening thus the face, body, and tail, it will, 
to dress the hair of the belly and back, push itself along in 
the dust or earth by means of its hind legs, and afterwards 
vigorously brush out the fur with its fore paws. 
Another peculiar habit I observed in Perodipus was the way 
it had of using its fore paws for quickly pulling out the cheek 
pouches. By this means the pouches were completely turned 
inside out ; they were then stretched, scratched, and dusted 
for a second or two, after which the animal tucked them back 
into position with equal rapidity. 
As in the case with the majority of the Muridæ, when 
startled by sharp and sudden noises these nervous little ani- 
mals will involuntarily spring from the ground for a centimeter 
or more ; when coming down again they will stand and gently 
grit their teeth together, while their eyes appear as though 
they were about to pop out of their orbits. At other times, 
particularly when feeding, the eyes are often kept not more 
than two-thirds open, and the animal then has an especially 
gentle look (Fig. 2). 
Perodipus occasionally, at long intervals, gives vent to a 
peculiar note not altogether unlike the low sound of a cat when 
calling her kittens together, though not nearly so loud or distinct. 
If kept in a roomy cage with five or six inches of soil on the 
bottom, where it is perfectly quiet and sunny, I see no reason 
why this species would not breed in captivity, and in any event 
they make very interesting and gentle little pets in confine- 
ment, quite equaling any of the squirrels, or even the famous 
dormouse of Europe, in this regard. 
