It is hard, at times, to prevent small annoyances taking up too much space in your mind. One mouse, for example; one mouse which could become many mice. These creatures usually begin to assault our houses, specially in the countryside, when autumn and early winter make things harder. This one appeared in June, when the owners were briefly away, and - an important point - when the dog was temporarily boarded out. Just one mouse, it seemed, from the droppings. And it has never been seen., Yet, think of the characters in that great mouse epic, The Visitors, you fear that there might be a whole family or group of families in behind the skirting boards or using those convenient alleyways made by central heating pipes or water pipes. (Question: is it possible for architects to design, and builders to construct a mouse-free-house, a house where none of them could live, or find an entry - and don't say that they probably come in through the front door?) This particular one left three of the distinctive dark droppings on the white bottom of a cupboard. Odd. It usually holds only tinned goods. But there was one cup which had apparently contained rice or some cereal, for the original contents had gone and the bottom was littered with mouse dirt. A trap was set with the never-before-failed bait: chocolate melted and allowed to harden, so that it could not be nibbled off bit by bit without setting off the lever. It wasn't touched, nor was a piece of cheese, deliberately put down well away from the trap.
Had the return of the dog scared the mouse or mice away? No, because, another cup used for measuring, and thought to be empty and clean, was found a few days later to contain a few grains of mice dirt. Poison is not to be used. Just where the nest is, there is no telling. is the mother, if that the malfactor be, lying quiet, about to bring out a whole new brood? Five to ten litters of four to eight young may be produced in a year, say the books. The Collins Field Guide to Mammals tells us that the house mouse is largely nocturnal and, under the heading Food, says it is omnivorous, but with a preference for cereals. And then, believe it or not, "Eat only what is necessary to maintain health, and select components for balanced diet."
It may also, according to the same book, "use 20 different sources of food in one night and, if only one source, may make 200 visits, taking about 20 mg each time." And mice don't need to drink water, if moisture in the food is 15 to 16 per cent. Amazing what these scientists discover. Now, about that mouse-free house.