headed parraquet (_Palaeornis rosa_), mounting up
on Polly's perch, and sitting down to supper in the tin receptacles
for food at each end. She generally treated them with silent contempt,
or gave a snappish little peck if they were too familiar; sometimes,
when they were too sky-larky, she retreated to her ring above, where
she swung and looked down at them from a coign of vantage. Their
agility in running up and down the wires of a cage is marvellous.
They have also an extraordinary faculty for running up a
perpendicular board, and the height from which they can jump is
astounding. One day, in my study, I chased one of these mice on to
the top of a book-case. Standing on some steps, I was about to put
my hand over him, when he jumped on to the marble floor and ran off.
I measured the height, and have since measured it again, 8 feet 9-1/2
inches.

I consider this species the most muscular of all mice of the same
size. I have had at the same time in confinement an English mouse
(albino), a Bengal field mouse, and house mice from Simla of another
species, and none of them could show equal activity. I use, for the
purpose of taming mice, a glass fish-globe, out of which none of the
other mice could get, but I have repeatedly seen specimens of _M.
urbanus_ jump clear out of the opening at the top. They would look
up, gather their hind quarters together, and then go in for a high
leap. They are much more voracious than the Simla or other mice. The
allowance of food given would be devoured in less than half the time
taken by the others, and they are more given to gnawing. What sort
of mothers they are in freedom I know not, but one which produced
four young ones in one of my cages devoured her offspring before they
were a week old. I have two before me just now as I write, and they
have had a quarrel about the highest place on a little grated window.
The larger one got the advantage, so the other seized hold of her
tail, and gave it a good nip.

* * * * *

Now we come to some doubtful species, doubtful in the sense that they
should not be separated, but considered as one to be named afterwards,
according to priority of discovery. Dr. Anderson is at present
investigating the matter, and we must await his decision, but from
such external observations as I have been able to make, it appears
probable that the following will prove identical:--

_Mus homourus_; _Mus Darjeelingensis_; _Mus Tytler