I had a letter the other day from a man who wanted to know why the
meadow, or field, mice gnawed or barked the apple-trees when there was a
deep coverlid of snow upon the ground. Was it because they found it
difficult to get up through the deep, frozen snow to the surface to get
seeds to eat? He did not seem to know that meadow mice are not
seed-eaters, but that they live on grass and roots and keep well hidden
beneath the ground during the day, when there is a deep fall of snow
coming up out of their dens and retreats and leading a free holiday life
beneath the snow, free from the danger of cats, foxes, owls, and hawks.
Life then becomes a sort of picnic. They build new nests on the surface
of the ground and form new runways, and disport themselves apparently in
a festive mood. The snow is their protection. They bark the trees and
take their time. When the snow is gone, their winter picnic is at an
end, and they retreat to their dens in the ground and beneath flat
stones, and lead once more the life of fear.