240 M U s. 
large blue-fly happened to buzz again ft the wires. The 
little creature, although at twice or thrice the diftance of 
her own length from it, fprang along the wires with the 
greateft agility, and would certainly have feized it, had 
the fpace betwixt the wires been fumciently wide to have 
admitted her teeth or paws to reach it. I was furprifed 
at this occurrence, as I had been led to believe that the 
barveft-moufe was merely a granivorous animal. I caught 
the fly, and made it buzz in my fingers againft the wires.' 
The moufe, though ufually fhy and timid, immediately 
came out of her hinding-place, and, running to the f'pct, 
feized and devoured it. From this time I fed her with 
infedts, whenever I could get them ; and tire always pre¬ 
ferred them to any other kind of food that 1 offered to her. 
“ When this moufe was firft put into her cage, a piece 
of fine flannel was folded up into the dark part of it, as a 
bed, and I put fome grafs and bran into the large open 
part. In the courfe of a few days all the grafs was re¬ 
moved ; and on examining the cage, I found it very 
neatly arranged betwixt the folds of the flannel, and ren¬ 
dered more foft by being mixed with the knap of the flan¬ 
nel, which the animal had torn off in confiderable quan¬ 
tity for the purpofe. The chief part of this operation 
muff have taken place in the night; for, although the 
moufe was generally awake and adtive during the day¬ 
time, yet I never once obferved it employed in removing' 
the grafs. On opening its neft about the latter end of 
Odtober, 1804, I remarked that there were, amongft the 
grafs and woolat the bottom, about forty grains of maize. 
Tliefe appeared to have been arranged with fome care and 
regularity, and every grain had the corcuie, or growing- 
part, eaten out, the lobes only being left. This feemed 
fo much like an operation induced by the inftindtive pro- 
enfity that fome quadrupeds are endowed with, for 
oring up food for fupport during the winter-months, 
that I foon afterwards put into the cage about a hundred 
additional grains of maize. Tliefe were all in a fhort time 
carried aw r ay ; and, on a fecond examination, I found 
them ftored up in the manner of the former. But, though 
the animal was well fupplied with other food, and parti¬ 
cularly with bread, which it feemed very fond of, and al¬ 
though it continued perfeftly active through the whole 
■winter, on examining its neft a third time, about the end 
of November, I obferved that the food in its repofitory 
was all confumed, except about half a dozen grains. 
This interefting little animal died in the month of De¬ 
cember 1806, after a confinement of two years and a 
quarter. I have fome reafon to believe that its death was 
occafioned by water being put into its cage in a fhell, 
picked up on the fea-fhore, that had been much impreg¬ 
nated with fait.” 
14. Mus agrarius, the ruftic moufe : yellowifh-brown, 
•with long fcaly tail and black dorfal ftreak. This fpecies 
is found in Germany, as well as in Ruffia and the more 
temperate parts of Siberia, as far as the Irtifh : in the 
former, it is found chiefly about villages and corn-fields j 
in the latter, in woods. In Ruffia it is often migratory, 
and very noxious to the grain ; it is called there Jhitnih, 
or the corn-moufe, for it abounds in the llieafs and ricks. 
At times they wander in vaft multitudes, and deftroy the 
whole expectations of the farmer. In the years 1763 and 
1764, they made great ravages in the rich country about 
Cafan and Arik ; aijd came in fucli numbers as to fill the 
very houfes, and became through hunger fo bold as to 
fleal even the bread from the table before the very faces 
of the guefts. At the approach of winter they all difap- 
peared. 
They make their retreats a little below the furface, 
which in thofe places appear elevated ; each has a long 
gallery with a chamber at the end, in which they place 
their winter food, which confifts of various forts of feeds. 
It is found of a much larger fize in the cultivated regions 
about the rivers Oby and Jenefei than elfewhere. In gene¬ 
ral it is rather lefs than the field-moufe, and is of a ferru¬ 
ginous colour above, and whitifh beneath : on the back 
is a dufky line : the head is oblong, the nofe (harp, anti 
the ears (mail and lined with fur : above each foot is a 
dufky circle ; and the tail is only half the length of the 
body. 
15. Mus minutus, the little moufe : ferruginous above, 
whitifh beneath, with long fcaly tail. This fpecies, ac¬ 
cording to Dr. Pallas, is frequent in the birch-woods of 
Siberia, as well as in many of the temperate parts of 
Ruffia, frequenting corn-fields, and barns. Its general 
colour is a deep tawny above, and white below ; the nofe 
is fharpifli and of a dufky colour, with a whitenels at the 
comers of the mouth; the ears are hid in the fur; the 
feet grey ; the length from nofe to tail is little more than 
two inches, and the weight not half a dram. The Siberian 
variety is a richer or more fulvous colour than thofe of 
other regions. This animal, Dr. Pallas fays, is very fre¬ 
quent in autumn and winter in corn-ricks and about gra¬ 
naries, and is often found intermixed with the Mus agra¬ 
rius, inhabiting fimilar places. It feems extremely nearly- 
allied to the harveft-moufe, and it is not impoflible that it 
may in reality be the fame animal; the differences appear¬ 
ing almoft too flight for a lpecific diffinftion. 
16. Mus foricinus, the foricine moufe : yellowifh-grey, 
with long fnout, round furred ears, and hairy tail of mo¬ 
derate length. This is an extremely-fmall fpecies, and 
has the general appearance of a Sorex, orfhrew, having a 
long and (lender or (harp-pointed fnout. It is a native of 
Strafburg, where it was firft difcovered by profeffor Her¬ 
man. Its colour is a pale yellowifh, or fubferruginous 
brown, whitifh beneath ; the ears are fhort and rounded, 
and are covered with hair. It meafures two inches from 
nofe to tail; and the tail is nearly of fimilar length, or ra¬ 
ther a trifle longer. 
17. Mus vagus, the wandering moufe : cinereous, with 
black dorfal band, very long naked tail, and plaited ears. 
This, which was difcovered by Dr. Pallas, is frequent 
throughout the whole Tartarian defert, and is of a mi¬ 
grating nature. It is a (mail fpecies, fcarcely exceeding the 
Mus minutus in fize, and meafuring little more than two 
inches and a half from nofe to tail, and the tail three 
inches. It is of a pale afh-colour above, (lightly mixed or 
undulated with black, and marked with a black dorfal 
line : the ends of the limbs are whitifh. This fpecies 
wanders about in great multitudes, migrating from place 
to place chiefly by night. It is of a yery tender or deli¬ 
cate nature; and during the nights, even of June, is often 
found rolled up, as if falling into a Hate of torpidity. It 
is (aid to inhabit chiefly the fiflur.es of rocks, the cavities 
under large (tones, or hollow trees. 
iS. Mus betulinus, the birch-moufe: body fulvous, 
with a black dorfal band, plaitpd ears, and very long naked 
tail. This is fo nearly allied to the preceding, that it 
might almoft pafs for the fame fpecies, or at lealt for a va¬ 
riety; but it is (till fmaller than that animal, and fcarcely 
exceeds two inches and a quarter in length ; the tail being 
at lead three inches, or longer in proportion than in the 
former. It inhabits the birch-woods of Siberia, living in 
the hollows of decayed trees. Like the former, it is of a 
tender nature, and loon becomes torpid in cold weather. 
In afeending the branches of trees, it is obferved to coil 
round the twigs with its tail, in the manner of an opoffum. 
Dr. Pallas has often obferved it afeending the Items of 
fome of the ftronger grades, which were fcarcely bent 
with its weight. He alfo kept feveral of them a confider¬ 
able time ; they grew very tame, and delighted in being 
held in the hand. This fpecies is of a rufous afh-colour 
above, and of a pale afh-colour beneath, and along the 
back is a dufky line ; the nole is pointed, and red at the 
tip ; the ears (mail, brown, and briltled at the ends ; and 
the limbs weak and (lender. 
19. Mus pumilio, the lineated moufe : cinereous- 
brown, with black front, four, black dorfal lines, and 
nearly naked tail of middling length. This fmall and 
elegant fpecies was firft deferibed by Sparman ; and is a na¬ 
tive of the forelt-regions on the Slangen-river, a great way 
% eaftvvara 
