16 



FANCY MICE. 



the colour Isabella (named by the laundress of Isabella I.) or tawny. 

 Sometimes this colour is called buff, and it is confused with those 

 that indicate a saffron or chrome yellow tint. The Isabella coloured 

 mouse is not infrequent. 



"Bell's 'British Quadrupeds' has been taken generally as a safe 

 guide to those persons who wish to acquire something like a know- 

 ledge of the animals of our islands. The description of the mouse 

 given therein can scarcely be said to err by reason of excess of pre- 

 cision or exactitude. The point that may be especially noticed is 

 that Bell speaks of five or six young being ordinarily produced at a 

 birth. This assertion considerably underrates the real case. I have 

 had seven instances during the last two months in which more young 

 have been produced at a birth, and one in which twelve were born. 

 The question of number largely depends on the amount of food 

 given, and, if the mice are fed well, there is no reason why the 

 greater number should not be born. Of course, in the case of young 

 mice, if they are put to breed too early, the offspring are not only 

 small in size, chetif in aspect, but are also in greater number than in 

 more adult specimens. 



*'Many of the older zoologists, even of the school of the late Sir "\V\ 

 Lawrence, were under the impression that the albino variety was a 

 permanent one — i.e., that albino bucks and does produced broods of 

 albino young. It appears, however, that the albino mouse freely 

 comes in the midst of a wild or tame brood, like Melchizedec, with- 

 out antecedent or consequent, and that the physiological character 

 of absence of the black pigment of the rete mucosum is not always 

 transmitted to the offspring. On the other hand, it does not appear 

 that the albino breed is in any way less productive than other mice. 

 An example may be given: Two albino mice were mated. The 

 birth produced nine. One of these, devoured by the mother almost 

 at once, was dark brown and white ; two were albinos, exactly like 

 the parents ; two were plum-coloured, with lightish tails ; two were 

 exactly similar to the common grey wild mouse, but much smaller 

 than it in size ; and two were of a breed which, as it is almost un- 

 known to me, I prefer to describe in detail. The individuals are 

 large, very black, the tail being entirely black ; the ears rounded and 

 prominent, unlike those of all mice, and similar to those of the black 

 rat (Mus rattus) ; the moustaches long, the hair on the head, snout, 

 and back very long. The nose is longer and more acuminate than 

 in most of the varieties of mice. I know not what name to give to 

 this variety for the purpose of convenient distinction, but suggest that 

 of ' uracoid ' mice, from the Greek for rat. Of course, I am aware 

 that the insectivorous Sorex has a name, probably derived from the 

 above term, as the French souris has in its turn been taken from 

 Sorex, and that the true mygale of jElian was certainly our shrew. 

 But the confusion that has always existed in the minds of the 

 ancients between the lesser mammalia has left the Greek word for 

 rat almost unnoticed. Even Cuvier was venturesome enough to 

 suggest that the black (and a fortiori the brown) rat was unknown 

 to the ancients. Il we admit that mygale meant the shrew, we must 



