204 
NATURE NOTES 
is beyond the capacity of his metropolitan brothers. A few 
prosecutions by the County Council, under the Smoke Abate- 
ment Act, would give a salutary impetus to the acquisition of 
this knowledge, and would save in the aggregate many hundreds 
of pounds to the dwellers in squares, besides saving many a good 
tree in our parks from death by starvation.” 
A MINIKIN MOUSE AND ITS NURSE. 
DO not know whether the following strictly true account 
of an effort at experimental natural (or unnatural) his- 
tory will be of any interest to anyone but myself, but 
at all events I will write it out and give it a chance. 
About ten years ago I possessed a pair of canaries that seemed 
desirous to have a familj’, so I assisted by providing a breeding- 
cage, with private boxes, and nest materials, which were pro- 
perly used. Many eggs were laid, and diligently sat upon ; 
but with no result except making the hen bird look very 
dilapidated, and I had made up my mind to close the great 
house, and return the birds to their cottage, when one day hap- 
pening to look into the area as the dust w'as being removed, I 
saw on the flags a tiny mouse in bald babyhood. Being a lover 
of all kinds of creatures I went and picked the mite up and 
warmed it well, and when it moved a bit was prompted to drop 
it into Mrs. Canary’s nest. She instantly hopped on to the edge 
and with many twists of the head made a minute inspection ; then 
she called her husband, who, being both loving and polite, came 
at once, repeated the inspecting process, and gave his wife a sort 
of nudge as if persuading her to try, by feeling, w'hat the little 
stranger was. At first she demurred, seeming to suggest to 
him “ you first,” but as he firmly declined, she, like a good wife, 
obeyed, and got into the nest, being careful not to tread on 
Mousey, and then settled down as if on an egg. I was rather 
puzzled at first what to do about the feeding, but decided on 
putting a small shallow^ vessel of bread and milk close at hand, 
often giving a fresh supply. How the bird managed to teach the 
mouse that it must not expect to take refreshment after the 
manner of young mice in general my head is not wdse enough to 
explain ; but after watching a few times I found the feeding 
was carried on after this manner. The foster-mother put her 
beak gently against her nursling’s cheek, and soon the ready 
mouth was turned up, wide open like a young bird’s beak, and 
what was considered “ enough-at-a-time ” of the bread and 
milk was dropped down the little red lane. The mouse throve 
on the treatment, and soon grew fat and strong, and would, I 
was told by every one who saw the pair, soon devour its nurse. 
Alas ! it did not live to fulfil this prediction, for, I grieve to 
say, what I thought a little curiosity fell a victim to my own. 
