THE YOUNG 



NATURA.LIST. 



185 



flying and feeding with them, but mostly 

 with jackdaws. 



On the oak trees, I noticed in December, 

 numbers of leaves that had not fallen off, 

 on looking to see what it was that prevented 

 them from doing so, I found each leaf was 

 curled up and contained a Micro pupa. 

 The leaves were firmly attached to the 

 twigs by means of threads which the larva 

 had spnn. 



Hares.— I have often come upon a hare 

 in the heather, stooping; one morning I 

 nearly trod on one before I was aware of 

 its presence. I have heard persons say that 

 if you shout when you see a hare stooping 

 it will be paralyzed for the moment, and 

 not know from what direction the sound 

 proceeds, gives you time to catch it. I 

 have also been told by several persons that 

 they have captured hares and rabbits by 

 approaching them stealthily from behind. 

 I have not myself been a witness to either 

 of the facts. Mr. A. R. Hoole said that 

 hares coming up a road or pathway, where 

 you are standing, will sometimes come 

 straight on if you will keep quite still. He 

 has had them run between his legs. When 

 I was in a turnip field a hare ran up the 

 path where I was walking till he got within 

 a dozen yards from me when I moved. I 

 do not know whether it is from the position 

 of their eyes or absentness or what cause. 

 (See Y.N., Vol. H., page 215.) 



Gnats.— I have seen gnats out all the 

 year round, except in frosty weather, when 

 they retire into the bark of trees and under 

 leaves to escape from the cold. They 

 appear in greatest number about midsum- 

 mer. Anybody who has watched a swarm 

 of gnats for a few minutes will be astonished 

 at their antics, the whole swarm flying 

 backwards and forwards with one motion. 



Mice. — When a corn-rick was being taken 

 down for threshing, I counted over 300 

 mice in it, of all ages and sizes. They 

 were mostly of the common mouse {Mus 



musculus), but there were a great number of 



field mice (Mus messorius). Some specimens 

 were of a delicate pale fawn colour. There 

 were multitudes of nests. We also counted 

 about a dozen rats (Miis decmnanus), but 

 between men and dogs not many escaped. 

 It was a complete slaughter. I once caught 

 a white mouse, with black eyes, in the fur- 

 nace of our back kitchen. I suppose some 

 tame white mouse or mice must have 

 escaped and bred with the common grey 

 ones. I obtained a little field-mouse (^Mus 

 messorius) out of a hay field, I put it in a 

 cage, but the next morning I found that it 

 gone. It must have escaped between the 

 bars which were only ^ of an inch apart. 

 It is surprising through what small holes 

 rabbits also can get. I have seen young 

 rabbits over a month old get through holes 

 no larger than the size of a crown piece, A 

 lady told me once she went into a stable 

 and was surprised by seeing a quantity of 

 mice scampering off in all directions. She 

 observed a lame old mouse that could not 

 get away itself being carried on the back of 

 a young one. I have kept a great number 

 of mice of all colours. I once had a white 

 mouse that would sing whenever the piano 

 was played. His voice very much resembled 

 a canary's, but was very faint, and was not 

 audible if there were the least noise. I 

 have succeeded in taming the common 

 house mice and making them run about 

 over my shoulders, although I have had a 

 bite now and then. A mouse's nest is a 

 beautiful piece of workmanship, being 

 exactly round. Several that I have found 

 by digging in the pigeon pen were made of 

 feathers and bits of straw nibbled upon into 

 small pieces and inwoven with each other 

 somewhat like a bird's nest. The young 

 are blind when just born like kittens. I 

 have never seen the old ones eat them, 

 although I have handled them enough just 

 after their birth. Generally there is an odd 

 number at each birth, 3, 5, 7, or 9. 



