San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-01-21
The Daily Eight.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 81, 1898.
NOTES On CAPTIVE MOUSE.

1t Has Lived Three Years without
Water Ia ANY Form.
From Science.
In November, 1889 / found pocket
mouse [Perognathus fsIlsx) in one
of my traps, alive and unhurt, though
torpid with cold, aud took q fancy to
keep it captive to study Its habits.
1t warmed slowly, and was some
hours in regaining its usual state OF
activity. / have found individuals
of other species aud genera of this
family (5accoyida) chilled in traps,
and is seems probable tn at while they
can bear considerable cold if free to
move about rapidly, If compelled to
keep quiet they speedily succumb to
cold. On this November morning
the cold was sufficient TO produce but
slight rhine on the grass. This
pocket mouse was not wild, but al
lowed handling freely from the first
1t would walk up my sleeve around
my neck and down the other arm,
and for year or more would not try
to jump to the floor, but later 1t
seemed TO have lost the sense of
depth, and now it will jump down
after little walking about, even if
the fall lie far enough to iDjure it. 1t
has never tried to bite me, and will
I2ietly bear stroking aud carrying
about in my hand, though it seems
to be getting somewhat wilder. put
it in a wooden box of perhaps Gu bic
foot in capacity. and put in an inch or
so in depth of dry sand. For the first
two years its habit was to dig and
scratch in this sand each night, often
making noise enough that l could
hear it through my closed bedroom
door, just outside Of which the box
was placed; but I never heard 1t
scratching in daylight, and for some
months | have not heard it in the
night. It has not gnawed the wood
as true mice would have done, and
has not lifted the lid, which was kept
closed by but its weight. If taken
out of the box after dark aud
turned loose on the floor of the sit
ting room it moves about actively
a few minutes, usually by short. de.
lberate, rabbit-like jumps, but II
frightened 1t leaps two feet or more,
as il shot off by spring. After il
has sstisfis I'D its curiosity 1t creeps in
to some dark pace behind piece OF
Iurniture. In daytime it hunts a
dark place imm edistely, If allowed
10, and is easily caught, while after
dark L must corner 1t to catch it. l
have heard it make no vocal sound
save slight squeak If accidentally
hurt. 1t appeared to be July adult
when caught, hut / have no other
means of knowing how old it then
was. Ii now acts as if feeling the eff
fects of age. AT first l tried feeding 1t
grain, seeds and green food Itwould
eat no green food that l gave it, and
would touch no water. For two
years have given it only dry barley
or dry wheat and no Water. 1t seems
TO prefer the wheat. 1t is a mystery
10 me how such an animal can live
aud thrive for years on dry grain
without water or moisture in any
form Once or twice year L empty
it's box and put in fresh, dry sand,
and set the box in an angle in the
ha!' where it is perfectly dry. L put
notning more in the box but dry
grain and little cotton to make a
nest of, yet under these conditions it
has lived three years. Many birds
aud animals do not drink water, or
but rarely, but most such eat either
green food, soft insects. or freshly
killed flesh, from all of which sources
some moisture is obtained.
From wnere dOss the p Dcket mouse
get its moisture? Some seems pec-
esssry to make blood, replace water
evaporaeed from the lungs and skin
and other waste. r, STEPHENS.
Santa Ysabel Cal Nov %