stunted, scattered, and torn, and as a lower point is approached, not only greater variety, but more perfect specimens are discoverable, although the delicate genera thrive in deep waters unaffected by rough tidal influences; many depending for favourable development on comparative darkness, and continuous immersion, may be found in rock pools, and this condition is essentially the habitat of the polysiphonia.

Specimens of ceramium, lithothamnion, ptilota, and many others (exquisite objects under low powers) may be arranged or disposed for future examination by floating in a shallow vessel of fresh water, lifting them on conveniently-sized pieces of stout cartridge paper, and after superfluous water drained off, drying in beds of blotting-paper under gentle pressure. But for microscopic observation a selected portion may be at once placed in a shallow cell, in glycerine jelly covered and cemented by the usual methods. Growing specimens thrive for a considerable time in small glass vases, or test tubes; success depending on placing them in moderate darkness, and even temperature.

A very simple and useful addition to the "material" of a microscopist are pieces of ordinary glass (not too thick), three and a half inches square; between such plates, specimens capable of being dried and flattened without injury, as portions of fronds of ferns, zoophytes, wings and parts of insects, seaweeds, and many various objects may be temporarily stored, and thus protected from dust, or fracture. The glasses are held together by strips of gummed paper bordering the edges; the advantage being they can be examined on the stage of the microscope when it is desired to select any part for a permanent

mount.

Crouch End.

M

NOTES ON MUSICAL MICE, &c.

ICE to which is given the characteristic term of "musical," or sometimes "whistling," or "singing," because of a peculiar sound that certain of them make, are known to the scientific world, as well as to many others. I have had one of these mice in my possession for some time, and the following are observations made on it. The scientific world, it would appear, is divided in opinion as to the music of the musical mice, whether it is the effect of disease, or a voluntary act. The property in which I dwell is new, and when I took possession of it in May last the tradesmen were not through with it, and then mice were not to be expected in the house, neither did I observe any in it, but from the 9th to the 16th June a flock of mice took up their abode in the house, probably driven hither by the taking down of an old property near by. The musical mouse did not make its appearance till 23 July, when, towards midnight,

In it it slept

it came from under the grate, having probably made its way to the top of the third story behind the ceiling or in holes in the wall. I was at once attracted to the mouse by its cry. The mouse wandered from the fire-side and took up its abode below a chest of drawers-its whereabouts being well made out by its incessant music or cry. I drove it from this retreat; and got it into the dark lobby, where, in pursuing it with a lighted taper, I caught it with my hand. I may mention that I believe this to have been the mouse's first visit to this house, for, in moving through the house it looked so like a stranger, yet when they are suddenly exposed to light they get somewhat bewildered. Of this I have often taken advantage where they are numerous, as, for example, in a press or cupboard. I have quietly but suddenly brought a light into their presence, and in their bewilderment have taken them with my hands, either to get rid of them, or to have them for investigation. I put the musical mouse into a cracked water carafe, in the bottom of which was a small hole. To this new situation it soon became reconciled. and ate, and when not sleeping it spent much of its time in dressing itself, which it did with great activity -sitting on its hind legs, with its tongue, like a cat, but double as quick, it licked the fur on its belly, and other parts, then licking its fore paws with its tongue, it would dress the fur on its face and its ears. During all these movements of itself, the music was kept up, which, as I observed at the time, and entered in my observation book as a 66 round-squeaking sound." The only time I ever observed the music stopped was when it got into a very deep sleep. Even when pursued to be taken, its musical cry was kept up, but only somewhat more rapidly, being caused, no doubt, by the greater frequency of its breathing through exertion, a fact that would seem to point to the cause of the music as some disease of the respiratory organs. In this water carafe it remained for over a week, and became a favourite with the children-it taking fragments of meat from their fingers, and, it may be added, drank from a teaspoon-lapping with its tongue like a cat, but much more rapidly. The children made somewhat free with the mouse, and took it from the water carafe in feeding it, when it made off, yet it never left the house. After its escape from the water carafe its cry or music became much changed, its note was not the same, and was over a double louder, so that its whereabouts behind the ceiling or otherwise was known. I often went and surprised it and others from the cupboard, from which it would jump making a dull thud on the floor, but the others darted timorously about to make off. After the mouse had been some time at liberty, I got a box trap and set, and after taking several other mice in it, the musical mouse was secured-and at its music as usual even in the trap. It was transferred from the trap to the water carafe, which it seemed to remember; and as the carafe was on the floor it had to be removed, and

to keep the mouse from getting out by the hole in the bottom of the carafe I put the palm of my hand over it, but to which the mouse made so free use of its teeth, that I had to set it quickly down when the cracked carafe fell in pieces, and the mouse was again free. It scampered somewhat awkwardly across the floor, keeping up its musical notes as it went and got under the grate. I again set the trap in the same place, but had not bright hopes of again getting the mouse, but, strange to say, it was in the trap again in not many minutes. I could hear the mouse go up behind the grate, and from hence behind the ceiling to the press where the trap was-its constant musical cry being so loud. This was on the 20th August, and it was kept and fed in the trap, till a cage was made for it, and into which it was put on the 23rd. A younger and smaller mouse was put into the cage beside the musical mouse on the 24th, with which at first there was a fight, but soon afterwards both were on good terms and remained together till the 27th, when, through the opening of one of the wires both escaped. The same day the trap was re-set, and by night the musical mouse was again in it, and was put back to its cage, and in which it has remained to the present time (8th November). During this time the mouse has been in my possession its note has undergone considerable change, and has even at times been stopped. The following is an extractive summary from the observations :-On 25th August its cry during the night like a young chicken when warm under its mother's wing-i.e. "wet, wet," the vowel being sounded as in "eat." On morning of 26th, a friend came to see it, but he was not favoured with its music; it was aroused from its sleep, but he was not long gone when it began. On 27th two other mice put into the cage; all agreed well, only they were allowed a second share of the food as long as they remained in the cage; 28th, the musical mouse quite tame, and spends much of its time biting the wires of its cage; 29th, little music; its hair sickly looking; at 1.30 P.M. all three in a cluster sleeping or resting. September Ist, the other two mice escaped, and the musical mouse in great activity. 2nd, resting and very inactive. September 7th, it now takes very sound sleep during the day, when it is silent, but at night, when out, its note is considerably changed, being something like the croak of a frog, or cok-cokcok-cok, in quick succession. About 10th, rests much; not so much music; hair getting drier, and its back somewhat bent up. October 19th, silent during day and night, but on 20th at a great height -crying in its nest, and during the evening very loud, but ate cheese and drank milk very lively; again on the 26th, in the evening, had a violent and sudden attack; its cry loud and rapid, and its body with rapid breathing terribly convulsed; I offered it some cream which it lapped from a teaspoon, and was relieved. At present (November 8th) the

creature is still alive and active, but little of its music is now heard, but when the ear is brought near it a complicated wet-ing sound is heard in its breathing. The mouse is the common one, Mus musculus, a female having six teats, in size moderate, but for this locality would be called large where mice are smaller than in districts where oats are more in The inside of the mouse's ears is partly covered with warts, akin to what I have often observed on sick and dying rats in both town and country. The above observations, I think, point to the cause of the music as being the effect of disease connected with the respiratory organs. Another item that favours this is its great fondness for fat or butter.

use.

Looking on disease as the cause of the so-called music in our "musical," "singing," or whistling" mice, we may look around ourselves and consider the extent to which such a disease prevails among mice. In London musical mice have often been exhibited. In vol. i. of the "Zoologist" (1843), there is a lengthy notice of one, and again in vol. vii. (1849) there are two described as "whistling" mice, and in the same an extract is given from "A paper on the study of Natural History," by W. D. King, where he says "much has been written of late years on them, and he says the music of the mice is a voluntary act. In vol. xv. (1857) two singing mice are described, and another in vol. xxiii. (1865), and in this case the editor, E. Newman, in a note, says he believes it "to be the effect of some lung disease, perhaps tubercular phthisis,"-which, in short, is consumption. The Rev. J. G. Wood in "Illustrated Natural History" (1865), makes reference to "singing mice," but leaves the reader to come to his own conclusions on the subject-whether voluntary or caused by disease; but he, nevertheless, quotes from a long letter by the Rev. R. L. Bampfield, Essex, who believes the cause to be voluntary. In the first volume of "The Science Monthly Illustrated," for the recent year (1884), there are references to musical mice, one being by W. B. Kesteven, M.D., in which he says, "I interpreted this musical performance as being the expression of intense gratification, comparable with the pleased purring of a cat.” Another reference in the same magazine is by W. T. Green, F.Z.S., who took a small musical mouse that died by the next morning and when dissected was seen to be suffering from pleuro-pneumonia. In Paisley, here, other six musical mice, in addition to the one described, have been brought under my notice. One of these which attracted attention by its cry in a room was to be taken, when it got on the window blinds, and its cry was so increased in its excitement that its pursuer in awe left it. Another of these was tied by a string round its neck to a gas pipe on the mantelpiece, where it lived and was fed for some time, keeping up its music, till, at last, it fell over the edge of the mantelpiece and was hanged.

TAYLOR, Sub-Curator, Museum, Paisley.