Field mice are the prey of many species of mammals, birds, and
reptiles. Unfortunately, the relation that exists between the
numbers of rodents and the numbers of their enemies is not generally
appreciated; otherwise the public would exercise more discrimination
in its warfare against carnivorous animals. It is the persistent
destruction of these, the beneficial and harmful alike, that has
brought about the present condition of growing scarcity of predacious
mammals and birds and corresponding increase of rodent pests of the
farm, especially rats and mice. The relation between effect and cause
is obvious.
Among the mammalian enemies of meadow and pine mice are coyotes,
wildcats, foxes, badgers, raccoons, opossums, skunks, weasels, shrews,
and the domestic cat and dog. Among birds, their enemies include nearly
all the hawks and owls, storks, ibises, herons, cranes, gulls, shrikes,
cuckoos, and crows. Among their reptilian foes are black snakes and
bull snakes. Not all these destroyers of mice are more beneficial than
harmful, but the majority are, and warfare against them should be
limited to the minority that are more noxious than useful.