d-mice is the dormouse, that lives in the woods.
It has a bushy tail, and makes its nest in hollow trees. It lives upon
nuts and fruit. As cold weather comes on, it rolls itself up in a
ball, and sleeps until spring.

6. Once a dormouse was caught and kept in a cage, when it became quite
tame, and a great pet with the children. One day it got out of its
cage, and the children hunted all over the house, but could not find
it, and gave it up as lost.

[Illustration]

7. The next day, as they sat down to dinner, a cold meat-pie was put
upon the table. When it was cut open, there was the dormouse in the
middle, curled up, and fast asleep.

8. The deer-mouse lives mostly in the fields, but it also makes its
home in barns and houses. Its back and sides are of a slate color, but
the under part of its body, and its legs and feet, are white. It is
sometimes called the white-footed mouse, or wood-mouse. It builds a
round nest in trees, that looks like a bird's nest, and it lives upon
grain, seeds, and nuts.

9. This mouse seems fond of music, and once in a while one sings. Its
song is very sweet, somewhat like that of a canary, but not so loud.
Mr. Lockwood's singing mouse would keep up its wonderful little song
ten minutes without stopping.

LESSON XXXII.

_HOW THE RAT LOOKS AND LIVES._

[Illustration]

1. The rat looks like a very large mouse. It has the same kind of
chisel-teeth, sharp claws, and long tail, and it lives very much in
the same way as a mouse.

2. It eats all kinds of food, and will live where most other animals
would starve. Its teeth are strong, and it can gnaw its way into the
hardest nuts, or through thick boards.

3. The claws of the rat are sharp, so that it can run up the side of a
house, or up any steep place where its claws will take hold. When at
the bottom of a barrel, or kettle of iron, brass, or tin, it can not
climb out.

4. The hind feet of the rat are made in a curious way: they can turn
round so that the claws point back. This enables a rat, when it runs
down the side of a house, to turn its feet around and hold on, while
it goes down head foremost.

5. The tail of the rat is made up of rings, and is covered with scales
and very short hair. The rat uses it like a hand to hold himself up
and to take hold of things.

6. Rats live in houses and barns, or wherever they can get enough to
eat. In cities, they get into drains, and eat up many things which
would be harmful if