The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-02-14
Interesting Natural Phenomenon.
FAMILY OF SINGING MICE.

Many years ago, the public Of merry
England were thrown into a state of in
tense excitement by the exhibition of a
singing mouse, and before the astOnish-
ment caused by the cantilating rodent
had subsidized, a companion mOnstrOsity,
in the form of q whistling oyster, was
announced. We are not quite clear as
to whether the sybilatOry bivalve kept
his promise to the ear or not, but the
singing mouse was a four-legged, fury
fact. Since then, domestic vermin, as
well as marine shell-tish, have been
mute, and it has been reserved for San
francisco to discover, in the year 1868,
that the race Of musical mice is not eX-
tinct. How the discovery came to be
made we will now relate
For some days past the family of Mr..
Louis r. Lull, residing on Post street,
has been disturbed by very singular and
unaccOuntable noises, proceeding appar-
emily from the ceiling and the walls.
The noises were not the familiar
squeaking of rats, or the shriller trebles
Of mice, nor did they resemble in the
least the chirpings of cTiekets, or the ut
teTance of any known insects or vcTIniu.
They shifted their position, too, in a
highly disturbing, and incOmprehensl-
Die way, and for some time excited q
good deal of special wonder. Sugges-
tiOns as to the possibility of spiritual
manifestations were made, but Mr.. Lull
refused to accept any explanation Of this
kind, and at last determined to set a
mOuse-trap and see what he could catch.
The next morning, on visiting the trap,
he found u mouse in it, but what was
his amazement when the little creature
opened its mouth, and raising its head,
began to pipe away like young canary
The mystery was solved, and he was the
happy professor of that Llts3ts 4dtltr0e, a
singing mouse. But the wonder did not
cease here, for though the strange song
ster was Gagged, the singing was still
heard from behind the walls. Again
the trap was set, and another mouse was
captured. And still from behind the
wainscott the cheerful voices of other
members of the family gave satisfactory
evidence Of the existence of what prom
ises to be a whole race of singing mice
Mr.. Lull had little cage made for his
captives, and yesterday placed them in
the Pioneers Hall, where they were Wis
tied in the course Of the day by hun
dreds of citizens. There is no delusiOn
about this matter The mice do sing
they do not squeak. Their notes are
like the pipings of a young canary just
trying its voice; and the little creatures
throw up their heads and shake them
from side to side, exactly as a bird does
when singing. When placed in the
dark, they will chirp and twitter so
loudly that a person standing two rooms
away can hear them plainly, and they
sing in any position, sitting. standing,
or hanging head downward from the
wires Of the cage. There is nothing pc
culiar in their appearance They look
the same Is other mice, but they have
that within that passeth show. We
trust that the California Academy of
Natural Sciences viii loose no time in
calling a special meeting to investigate
this extraordinary phenomenon, and
that the members will bend the whole
force OF their powerful intellect upon its
explanati0n.-Sd Francisco Times.