The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-20
WOMAN WHO SAVES MICE.
Mrs. Edith Kin=msn Poyer Has whole
Mena-erle of NeTmin.

From tse Sen Frsncizco Examiner
There is one woman IN America who
loves mice.
She loves them 50 much that she
chooses them for pets and g. constantly
c0ddling hundreds Of them as most
women are wont to COddle kittens and
puppies
Nrs Edith Kingman Poyer Is her name
She resides IN Woodstock. Ill, where she
maintains mouse farm Of large dlmen-
sions anc extraordinary interest
Mrs. Edith KirRnsn Poyer has wealth
with which 90 irdulge In Injuries. Her
idea OF luxury is mice. She deies the
most Cdst-iron tradition Of her sex and
encourages in its deEravity the most de-
spiscd class Of animal known 10 the femi-
mine mind
Mrs. Power is a counolsscur on mice.
She makes distinctions IN her very cages
Of pets There are good mice and bad
mice. RIso mice and ignorant mice. pretty
mice and Lg!y mice, costly mice and
cheap mice.
She has all kinds. hut she IS discrimI-
mating in her tastes when she wishes 20
choose "A hsBdfIl 0f rodents for An even
ing sicst2 in The front parlor
Nheu compans comes she may bring out
her japanese WaltZing mice for enter
taiumeut.
or II the company be learned and given
% instructive research. rather than mere
idle diversion. she NAV usher forth her
Egyptian race Of Cheese-uibbiers. the only
onea Of their kind brought 10 this country
from the land or me PhaTaOhS.
again, TO curiosity delivers she may in
treduce her troupe Of Spiny raticts, which.
| until MIS-. POycT got hold Of them. had
never been outside OF an English zOologi-
cal garden.
In YJJfrfo.r O., ,1,, T-,r,-,-,f..,, -,,,,r-- -
English mouse the japanese mouse, tn
American mouse. and various mice Of
olher respectable natiOnaliticS. there Is
the Dutch mouse. renowned for his re-
SembIdnee 10 the Dutch rabbit in point Of
forehead and cneck markings
The japanese mice take after their hu-
man countrymen IN their propensity for
athletics. They perform some amazing
fedtS, chiefly iH the dancing line \ pair
of these little animals will stand on their
mind legs and waltz by The hour. Whiriing
HTsl one way ana then reversing 10 Whiri
the other.
Scientists who have seen nv little jap
anese performers" says Mrs Power. en-
deaNor TO explain their dancing by at
lrlDuDng u 90 an early mdladv in thp
mouse family resulting from 4 disease
OF the brain. They declare that the diZZi-
ness OF The original dancing mouse caused
him 10 turn round and round in a kind If
dellrlum, which was bcque4thed 10 his
cieS OF giddy mice. If that be truo. II
must have been an extremely tenacious
malddy. for II has become so much a Dart
of the miCe's nature that the baby mica
| dance as soon as they can stand uDon
tEeir hind legs. And they IOu'l seem Ia
be a bit crazy, either"
They do not. indeed-fOr mice. They an
| pear 10 be quite as Sapieut As the English
mice or the Dutch mice or ;h,. Ap1a,.ic.,p
mice, or the SDiny mice or even inc
Egyptian mice, and everybody VINO knows
anything al all about mice knows that IN
Egyptian mouse is noted Tor his cUnuira
as most Egyptian things are.
The Spiny mice - named after the
di5coyerer Of the race-Whosc chief His
tinctl0n IS that they have hitherto never
been seen outside of an English Zoolonical
garden, are endowed with tricks of tbair
own, one Of which is 10 pun off the cover
ing of their tail. like a dormousa. This
covering Is CuriOusly corrugated skin
which nts the tail like the finger of a
glove.
The Spiny recommends himself 10 the
fastidiOus by his freedom from th2 usual
mouse OdOr. To any one who d0agn't
think much of a mouse anyhow. this is
a potent bid for tOleration. If no. favor
"They are very aristocratic little feI-
lOWs," says Mrs. Poyer when showing off
this collection 10 a visitor. She takes one
up in her hand and shows you how tlny
its paws are and how well-shdpcd.
See the ;apering toes. the fine, clean