I had often wished to keep these interesting little animals, but as they
are only found in some parts of England and are difficult to capture
from their minute size and delicacy, I had to wait many years before
they could be obtained. At length, through the kindness of a friend, six
were sent to me from Norfolk, and for two years they lived in captivity
and afforded me much pleasure.
They are the smallest English rodents, two of them only weighing a
halfpenny; they are brown in colour with white underneath, very long
whiskers and prehensile tails. They were made happy by finding all
things needful for their comfort in a large plant case. A thick layer of
cocoa fibre was spread over the bottom of the case, dry moss and hay
provided, wheat-ears, oats, and canary seed, and a small cup of water. A
flowerpot in which a number of small branches were fixed afforded
opportunity for exercise in climbing, and a pleasant resting-place was
formed by a half-cocoanut filled with cotton-wool and roofed over with
dry moss, then slung by three wires in a tripod of sticks of
corky-barked elm, a little hole for entrance being left at one side.
Into this the mice went the moment they were turned into the case, and
in it they mostly lived. I fancy its swinging a little as they moved
inside was congenial to their ideas of comfort. As they live in
cornfields and make a pendulous nest attached to an ear of corn, I
supplied them with a pot of growing wheat, in the hope that they would
incline to make a nest in it; but I could never induce them to rear a
family. They would sit for hours in the corn-stalks and nibble them
into a heap of shreds, but no nest ever appeared. Their greatest delight
was a handful of fresh moss full of little insects on which they would
feed. The greatest excitement was always shown when the moss
appeared--little heads would peep out of the cocoa-husk, little noses
sniffed in all directions, and then, with jerky runs, the tiny folk made
their way to the attractive spot, and soon each would be seen sitting up
like a small kangaroo feasting on a beetle or spider held in the tiny
paws. Sometimes in their great happiness they made a low, sweet chirping
like a company of wrens conversing cheerily together. When climbing in
their tree-branches it was interesting to see how the fine wiry tail was
always coiled round the stem as the creature descended, so as to keep it
from falling and injuring itself.
Canary seed and brown bread seemed a favourite diet, and if I put a
trough of growing corn into the case the mice made little burrows
through it so as to be able to eat the wheat from below. I had heard a
sad report that my fairy-like pets had a tendency to eat each other as
spring came round! This I fancied might arise from lack of animal food,
so once or twice a week I always gave them a small portion of meat and
this seemed to prevent any tendency to cannibalism.
After keeping them two years several deaths occurred, so I thought the
remainder should have their liberty, and I had the pleasure of seeing
them enter one of my corn-stacks where I hope they found all that their
little hearts could desire, and possibly they would stray to a
neighbouring bank and found a colony.
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