NATURE NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20384, 12 October 1929, Page 1 (Supplement)

NATURE NOTES.

MICE AND THEIR SONGS.

BY J. DJIUMMOKD, F. 1,.5., F.Z.S.

A singing mouse is reported by Mr.. J. A. McLeod, of O'Rorke Street, Onehunga. He says he heard of it, from Mr. S. Marks, of Mangere, and was taken into Mr. Marks' shed to listen to it. As soon as they entered " sure enough it began to sing, running along a beam all the time." A noise or a light did not disturb it, or induce it to be silent. Mr. McLeod and Mr. Marks went outside the shed, where they again heard Ihe singing above their heads, although they could not see the mouse then. "I have been told that the singing has beon heard for about two months," Mr. McLeod writes: "Can you explain it, and havo you heard of it before'/"

The mouse—it is the common housemouse, Mus musculus, which came to New Zealand without an invitation in the early days—listens to music with deep attention, and evidently enjoys it; and individuals arc known to sing. Ihe sound is described by Mr. McLeod as a whistle, but mice that exercise this gift are known as singing mice. A lady in England who heard the effort states that although the song is not very effective, it is a distinct vocal effort. A mouse in her possession sometimes ran up an octave, ending with a decided attempt, at a trill. It sometimes tried to -trill up ail the notes. An octave seemed to be about its range. When it. sang, the expansion and vibration of its throat and chest could be seen distinctly, as in a song-bird. When singing, its favouirte position was an erect one, the mouse standing on its hind feet. Apart from this, no information is available as to singing mice. The only explanation is that mice have a vocal ap paratus capable of song of a. sort, and that some of them, at times, use it, singing because it pleases them to sing as birds do.

The house-mouse is the only mouse in New Zealand. Coming, probably, in the whaling vessels in Ihe period that ushered civilisation into this country, it has spread to all parts where there arc human habitations. ' Producing from three to five litters in a year, each litter with from four to eight young, it is almost as prolific as another member of its family that came to New Zealand perhaps at the same, time —namely, the black rat, or, as it is sometimes called, the English rat, although it was introduced into the Old Country from the' East. Reports state that in England now it is fairly rare, the Isle of Dogs being one of its last strongholds.

The house-mouse is believed to be a native of Asia. So successful has it been in the race of life that its distribution is almost world-wide, and still it continues to press on into nooks and corners in the wake of civilisation. Typical representative of the mice, it stands out from them all as, far as survival in the struggle for existence is concerned. Its elegant little cousin, the harvest-mouse, Mus ininutus, distinguished as not only almost tho smallest mammal of the Old Country, but also the most beautiful, has not come to New Zealand. With a length of only four inches and a-half, and weighing only onesixth of an ounce, it is a pigmy in the class mammalia, which includes elephants and great whales.

The statement that the harvest mouse was first discovered in England bv Gilbert White, of Selborne, probably should be amended to the effect that Gilbert White first brought it into English literature. In his own delightful, style, lie describes its nest. There is no better description. He states: "It is most artistically plaited, and composed df the blades of wheat, perfectly round, and about the size of a cricket' ball, with the aperture so ingeniously closed that there was no discovering to what part it belonged. It was so compact and well-filled that it would roll across the table without being discomposed. though it contained eight little mice that were naked and blind."

The jumping mouse of North America is a rodent and resembles a mouse, but it does not. belong to Ihe mouse tribe. No other rodent is so agile, or possesses such prodigious muscular strength. Its head and bodv are about three inches long, yet it can leap ten feet. The jumping mouse typifies the sluggard who was heard to complain "You have woke me too early, I must slumber again." Curled up like a ball in its cosy underground nest, with its nose pressed to its stomach and its long tail coiled around its body, it slumbers so deeply that it may be handled for a long time without showing the slightest signs of life.

It. is doubtful if New Zealand can substantiate its claim to its only rodent, tho Maori rat, Mus exulans. The species is widely distributed over the Polynesian Islands. The evidence available seems to show that it was brought by the Maoris in their migrations from Hawaiki. In that case, it ranks with the house-mouse, the black rat, and tho big Norway rat as an introduced creature. There is nothing remarkable about it, except that, when it was more plentiful than it is now, it swarmed in thousands over countrysides. It certainly is rare, but it may not bo extinct. The latest record of its presence, apparently, was in 1908. In colour it is greyish-white on tho back, paler below; ears largo and round; head and body about five inches long; tail tho same length.

Mr. E. liarbour, of East Tainaki, after reading an account by a Christchurch correspondent of an old nest of a songthrush used second time, wrote: "In our orchard we had a goldfinch's nest in a peach tree. For two years in succession tho nest was occupied. Three eggs were laid each time. The young were hatched successfully, grew very rapidly and soon became 100 big for the nest. Both years two of the youngsters were turned out. and one occupied the nest until old enough to fly. Tho young bird did not seem at all like its parents. The tree and nest were destroyed this year, so we will be unable to observe tho family this season."

Wekas recently were, reported to have disappeared from Tcviotdalc, North Canterbury*, and from the Lower Waikato. Mr. C. J. Monro states that Palmerslon North is another district deserted by them. He blames stoats and wcasc s but only onco has be seen a weka killed bv " one of these blood-thirsty little beasts. He has lived in New Zealand for more than seventy years. Nowhere did ho see so many wekas to the acre as there weie in a piece of bush adjoining his house thirty years ago. He believes that all disappeared in a few months, in the same mvsterious wav as tho Icvioldalo \\ekas disappeared, 110 has not .seen a weka, or heard its cheerful notes, in his district, for twenty years. He blames stoats and weasels for thinning the numbers of game birds in New Zealand.

A resident in bush country in tho North Auckland district made friends with a weka, which patrolled the road, feeding on earthworms. Some of tho earthworms were from two to three feet long, especially in wet clay country. One of these giants was dug up by tho resident, who, wishing to surpriso tho weka, placed tho earthworm on the. road where the weka would see it. In ten minutes, back came tho weka. On seeing the earthworm it slopped and looked intently at. tho monster, probably tho biggest earthworm it had dreamt of, Tho weka, seemingly to convince itself that it was awako, gave the earthworm a prod. It then made ono grab, and ran off toward its home, with the earthworm in its bill. The following day the. weka returned again, three hours later than its usual time, but it would touch no earthworm, taking grubs only. It seemed to be suffering from repletion. Although it could hardly wobble, it continued to pick out, the best grub?, aud forced itself to swallow -them.