FIELD MOUSE

Grey River Argus, 23 July 1941, Page 6

FIELD MOUSE

FIGHTS A SPARROW. Miss Millicent Jennings, of Governor’s Bay, Lyttelton harbour —one of the numerous folk who put out food for various birds, especially during winter —has sent on interesting report to the Forest and Bird Protection Society. “Have you ever seen a wee field mouse stand up to a fat. cock sparrow—charge him in fact?” she writes. “That's what happens here now. The feeding station is near-by our big landscape window looking down the harbour. Over it and under it twines a line passionfruit vine, and up the vine every day climbs two tiny fat field mice—so pretty with their big transparent ears and long tails. The way-eyes gather on a nectarine tree alongside and first watch them —not too sure of their ground—but the sparrows swoop down and start to nibble the fat and other tit-bits. Then at them rush the little mice. Sometimes the sparrow wins and sometimes the mouse. There they are now, a dainty pair. The wax-eyes having fed earl- . ier are away for the moment “A bell-bird comes every day to feed on the full-flowering tree-lucerne at the window.”