INTRODUCTORY. 



The mouse, in its wild state, is naturally the enemy of all, if so 

 feeble a creature can be termed an enemy, and, as a natural conse- 

 quence, the enemies of the mouse are in strong force. It is not, 

 however, the wild mouse that we have to deal with at present, but 

 the pretty, if not more useful, fancy mouse, the pet of our boyhood. 

 In years gone by we kept mice both for pleasure and profit, and so 

 good had we got the different strains or families that, making 

 allowance for the tendency to revert, or throw back, we could obtain 

 almost any peculiarity for which the strain was selected. Thus we 

 had black with white head and ears, white with black feet and head, 

 and a strain that was coloured much like a silver grey rabbit. The 

 whole secret of our success was selection and perseverance. 



In breeding mice, as with dogs, or horses, or any animal, selection 

 is one of the greatest essentials, and after selection comes per- 

 severance. But we are straying from the point of our present 

 chapter. 



The fancy mouse is both elegant and graceful and fully repays 

 any pains bestowed on it, as the smell is nearly, if not quite, 

 destroyed by keeping the cages properly clean. There is, however, 

 one thing to which we most decidedly object, and that is letting the 

 animals loose, so that they multiply and overrun the whole premises, 

 both of their owner and of other persons, which, besides being an 

 annoyance, is also a loss of capital, as fancy mice always find a ready 

 sale at from 8d. to lOs. 6d. per pair, according to the markings, &c. 

 In fact, we have had as much as 30s. for a pair of tortoiseshell mice, 

 and to the purchaser they were cheap, as he had more than a dozen 

 tortoiseshell ones from the pair. 



Mice are easily taught various tricks, and as this is sometimes an 

 advantage, we shall refer to the matter further on. 



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