Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-03-18
A Family Of Singing Mice.

Many years ago the public Of merry
England were thrown into a state Of intense
excitement BY the exhibition Of singing
mouse. and before the astonishment caused
by the caRtiIlating rodent had subsided, a
companion monstrOsity, in the form Of
whistiling oyster, was announced. We are
not quite clear as TO whether the sybillatory
bivaive kept bis promise 70 the ear or not
but the singing mouse was ur-leQged
furry fact Since then, domestic yernin,
Is well az marine shell-fsh, have been mute,
and Il has been reserved for San Francisco
TO discover, in the year 1863, that the race
Of musical mice Is not extinct How the
discovery came TO be made we wiz now re-
late For some days past the family Of
Mr.. Louis r. Luli, residing on Post street
had been disturbed by very singular and
unaccountable noises. proceeding apparent
ly from the ceiling and the walls. The
noises were not the familiar squeaking Of
rats, OF the shriller treblss Of mice, nor did
they resemble IN the least the chfrpings Of
erickets or the utteraneee Of any known
insects or Vermin. They sbifted their po-
sitiou, 10, in q highly disturbing and in
conprehengibIe way. and for sorae time ez-
cited 8 good deal Of special wonder Sug-
gestions as 10 the possibility Of spiritual
manifestation we're made, but Mr.. Iull re-
fused 10 accept any explanation Of this kind
and at last determined 70 set mouse trap
and zee what be could catch The next
morning On visiting the trap. he found a
mouse in II, bat what WAS hig amazemeDt
when little creature opened its mouth, and
raising iss head, began % pope away like
vOaHg canary. The mystery was solved
and be was the happy posseggor of that
lusag nature, a singing mouse But the
wonder did not cease here, for though the
strange songsEeF was Gagged, the singing
vyss sf{II heard from behind tho walla-
Again the trap was sci, and another singing
mouse was captured And still from bsbind
tbs wainscot The cheerful voices Of other
members Of the family gave satisfactory
evidence of the existence of What promise
70 be whole race Of singing nice Mr
Luis had littlc cage made for bis caDtives.
and yesterday placed them IN the Pioneers
Hail, where they were visited Ia the eOuTse
Of The day By hundreds Of citizens TheFe
= 10 delusiOD or mysiiaeation about this
natter. The mice Go sing-they do not
squeak. Their notes are ike the piping
II Young canary just trying its voice and
the lItae creatures throw up their heads and
shake them from side ~ side, exactly rs a
bird does when singing when plaeed IN
tho dark, they viii cbirp ard twitter -
loudly that person standing two rooms
away can hear them plainly, and they sing
10 any position, sitting, standing Or hang
ipg head downward from the wires Of their
cage. Thers is nothing peculiar 10 their
aryearanes. They look iues the same ~
otbsr mice, BAT they have that within that
passetb show. We trust that the Calif0rnia
Aeadefny of Sstaral Sciences will l0ss 10
tssse N calling ; special meeting - invcsii-
gate this extraordinary phenomeEOn, and
that the members viii bead the whole force
d their powerful inseIieel upon its szpiA-
nafion.-Gaa Fr0netsoo Ttsses.