Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 June 1896 — About Musical Mice. [ARTICLE]

About Musical Mice.

In the window of a certain bird fancier's shop in North London is a sign which reads: “Singing Mice a Specialty.” “Yes," said the fancier, In answer to a query, “they are a rarity; In fact, I am the only man in London who keeps them. They ore the most profitable stock I ever had, and I get good prices for them. Sometimes 1 charge a couple of guineas apiece when they are scarcer than usual." The fancier brought one of his mice anti put It on the counter. It was an. ordinary pleimld tame ifiouse, apd it commenced a sort of piping symphonywhlcb was not exactly a song, but was really musical, nnd seemed out of place in such a small animal. It was quite a pleasant sound. “Teach 'em, sir? No, I don’t teach them. There’s a special strain of mice that can sing like that and I keep the strain and foster it. I am the only person who knows anything about singing mice." “Some folks say It is a kind of lung complaint that makes them sing, but I believe it's a natural gift. All my mice are healthy enough.” “Some people have extraordinary Ideas of what the mice can do. One gentleman, a violin player, brought back a couple he’d bought of me, because he said they didn’t sing In tune. A week or two ago an old lady came to me and asked for a mouse that could sing ‘God Save the Queen.’ She offered me SSO for such a mouse, but I hadn’t one, and she went away disgusted.”