28 



FANCY MICE. 



A very wild mouse sent to a show stands a fair chance of 

 getting lost, and one which has been kept in a very hot room 

 will almost certainly take cold. Verb. sap. Mice have a way 

 of dying unaccountably, for no apparent reason, and without 

 having appeared ill. In most cases I believe this to be due 

 to fright, for they are extremely nervous little creatures, and 

 suffer greatly from any very loud noise accompanied by 

 strong light. A good supply of food should always be sent 

 with exhibits, as mousie, being somewhat insignificant in the 

 eyes of show-attendants, is apt to come off badly at feeding-time. 



Not the least of the mouse's vii-tues as an exhibit are the 

 cheapness of its carriage, and the equanimity with which it 

 will endure long dark journeys, its nocturnal habits being here 

 greatly in its favour. The mouse entry fee at shows has 

 not, I believe, as yet exceeded Is., and prize winners are 

 eminently saleable at very good prices. Oxford was, I believe, 

 the pioneer in giving good classes for mice, this town being 

 the home of that enthusiastic breeder, Mr, W. Wild, who has 

 done so much for the mouse fancy, and whose stock have 

 provided many a winner. At the last Cheltenham show there 

 were forty-eight exhibits in the mice classes : at Cardiff — 

 the blue-ribbon show for mice — there were ninety-one, twenty- 

 two of these being does with litters or pairs. At this show 

 the premier honours — cup, medal, and first prize — were won 

 by an evenly Dutch-marked mouse, with saddle, blaze, and 

 stops complete ; which was claimed by the judge at catalogue 

 price — £2 2s. Here is an ideal for the amateur to aim at. 

 One which he may indulge some reasonable hope of attaining 

 with time, patience, and perseverance, without any great out- 

 lay in money or trouble. 



Eig. 3 represents a show-cage of easier construction than 

 those with rounded top and wire front, which are much used. 

 All inside wood-edges should be protected with strips of 

 sheet-tin, or the inmate may gnaw its way out. The dimen- 

 sions are 7in. wide. Gin. from back to front, and Gin. or 7in. 

 high in front, 4hm. high at back. The front is either 

 screwed on, or placed on hinges with a safe fastening — the 

 latter preferably, so that the cage may be easily cleaned and 

 painted inside. The door is at one end, and the food-tin 

 slips into a slit in front. 



Fig. 4 shows a simple breeding-cage, which should not be 

 less than 14in. long, Sin. deep from back to front, and 4in. 

 high. Such cages are often made smaller, but they give no 

 chance of healthy exercise. These cages can be stacked one 

 on the top of another, and take up very little room. They 

 are best unpainted, and all mouse-cages should be fronted 

 with bright tinned wire. Fig. 5 represents an ideal, even- 

 marked mouse, whose saddle might be farther back with 

 advantage — still it is a mouse which would do a good deal of 

 winning if it could be produced. 



