Vermin of the Farm. 
219 
of the field-mice. Kooks and crows also do good service in 
digging out, killing, and eating young field-mice, and we have 
taken these little quadrupeds whole, though partially digested, 
from the stomachs of the stone curlew ((Fdicnemtis) and the 
viper. Foxes are very fond of field-mice, and can catch them 
as well as a cat can. When a vixen fox has young, she will go 
mouse-hunting, and will bring home several at a time, i.e. five 
or six in her mouth at once. 
Some notion of the rapidity with which these destructive 
but beautiful little animals increase may be gathered from the 
observations of Mr. R. M. Barrington, who kept several long- 
tailed field-mice in captivity, and took note of the dates when 
young were produced as well as the number of each litter.^ 
The period of gestation is three weeks. 
Three young ones were born on the 7th or 8th of March, 
when the mother was about five months and a half old. 
Observation was kept upon two females, marked respectively 
A and B to distinguish them, with the following result : — 
March 
7 or 8 
A 
3 young . 
Interval since 
last litter 
19 
B 
6 
. . 
31 
A 
3 
ff • 
. . 24 days 
April 
18 
B 
5 
. . 29 „ 
>> 
24 
A 
3 
V 
. . 24 „ 
May 
11 
B 
5 
n • • 
. . 23 „ 
17 
A 
4 
• • 
. . 23 „ 
June 
12 
A (?) 4 
V • • 
. . 26 „ 
July 
9 
A (?) 4 
ff • • 
• . 27 „ 
This table shows the number of young which two long-tailed 
field-mice are capable of producing in less than five months, and 
had not one of them contrived to escape early in June, the 
number of young would have been still larger. 
“During April [says Mr. Barrington (l.c.)] we Lad twelve to twenty 
mice, young and old, in the nest ; they all slept together, and it was cer- 
tainly a curious sight to see fathers, mothers, and children of all ages and 
sizes in the nest, the young of different ages suckling the same mother at the 
same time, and the mothers appearing to suckle each others’ young indis- 
criminately.” 
The young were carried about by the parent in the mouth as 
cats carry their kittens. 
In gardens where these mice abound, and where if unchecked 
they will do great damage to early planted peas and seeds, cats 
should be encouraged, and traps set in good time. One of the 
most effective traps is made as follows : — 
‘ Zoologist, April 1881, pp. 121-123. 
