The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1892-10-29
FOUR.FOOTED WARBLERS,
One Mouse in Particular That Could Sing
Like n Wren.

A four-footed creature that sings is
certainly curious enough to have it's
existence doubted; and many people
do not believe that such a thing as a
singing mouse has ever been seen, or,
more correctly speaking. heard. 1t
has, though, and in certain house
beloved of mice generally, what
sounded like the voice of very small
bird was often heard in the wall. A
trap was set for the uproarious ones
that kept up constant squeaking and
gnawing, besides nibbling every Wand
that they could possibly get at; and
one night the dainty bits of cheese
lured into captivity mouse that
looked like other mice and acted like a
wren. Such a quivering, musical
little warble could scarcely come from
any other throat than that of the tiny
bird.
But it was soon proved beyond q
doubt that mousie did it himself, con-
tinues Harper's Young Folks, and that
he must be the very singer who gave
the mysterious wall concerts, so the
next thing was to make him a cage.
1t was quite an uncommon one, as un-
common as he was himself-a glass
globe covered with netting A warm
nest was arranged in it, and the curl
Gus little performer took very kindly
to his luxurious quarters. He had, of
course, the best cheese to nibble at,
and he evidently considered himself in
clover. He put on airs, too, and
seemed to know when he was being
watched. At such times he would
raise himself up, and try with all his
small mi ght and main to act like a
canary. Sometimes he would hold up
one paw, and then he was full-fledged
prima donna, sending forth such loud
notes that it was almost startling to
hear him.
But an easy life did not seem to
agree with the amusing little rodent,
and possibly he pined for the home in
the wall, with its boundless freedom,
where he may have left "his young
barbarians at play" In few days he
died without any apparent cause, and
the experiment of caging a singing
mouse was altogether unsuccessful.
Other four-footed warblers have
been kept in good condition for much
longer time. giving abundant oppor-
tunity to make some very interesting
discoveries in regard to their musical
organs. They do not, it appears, sing
with their throats, like other songsters,
but with their noses. Their vocal
chords are vibrating folds of the skin
at the outlet of each nostril, and the
performer can vary the tone from high
to low by using more or less force in
expelling the air. When quite by him.
self, the sound produced by the singer
resembles that of an Eolian harp; but
in cage, when the small prisoner is
often singing for effect, the notes are
much bolder,
A cat purrs much in the same way
as mouse sings, and both are signs
of comfort and satisfaction. But the
mouse's song, unlike that of the cat
| has given rise to many absurd super
stitions. and houses have acquired the
bad reputation of being haunted be-
cause of singing mice in the walls.
The soft wailing sound which the song
then assumes is said to come from the
uneasy spirits of those who have been
| murdered; and the servants who are
frightened by the singing mouse could
never be made to believe that the con-
tinual picking and stealing from the
| pantry are done by the singer himself
| and his near relatives. For although
it seems as if so gifted a creature
should be above such night marauding
| he is really no better than his COM
mOnplacc companions.