Page:Natural History (1848).djvu/224

214 animal was playing about in the open part of its cage, a large blue fly happened to buzz against the wires. The little creature, although at twice or thrice the distance of her own length from it, sprang along the wires with the greatest agility, and would certainly have seized it, had the space between the wires been sufficiently wide to have admitted her teeth or paws to reach it. I was surprised at this occurrence, as I had been led to believe that the Harvest Mouse was merely a granivorous animal. I caught the fly, and made it buzz in my fingers against the wires. The Mouse, though usually shy and timid, immediately came out of her hiding-place, and running to the spot, seized and devoured it. From this time, I fed her with insects, whenever I could get them&#59; and she always preferred them to every other kind of food that I offered her."

The animals of this family have a mouse-like form, and in many respects resemble the Muridæ in manners. Like them, too, they have perfect clavicles &#59; but they differ in the structure of their molar teeth, which are compound: their crowns presenting a flattened surface, on which the lines of enamel are so disposed as to form three folds on the outer side, and one on the inner, in those of the upper jaw&#59; while those of the lower. have this arrangement reversed. The incisors are very strong, and chisel-shaped. The muzzle is short and rounded&#59; the ears short, the hind feet robust&#59;