They slid down the corn stalks and were out of sight in a moment. “Ha! Mr and Mrs Mousie, we have disturbed you,” said Uncle George. “We will now go nearer and see your nest.” “I can’t see where they came out,” said Tom. “There is no hole to be seen.” Uncle George pointed out to the children how the nest was woven together and fixed to the wheat stalks. He then took a pencil from his pocket and moved aside some of the dried grass. The children looked in and saw a family of naked little mice cuddled up together. They could not tell how many there were; but Uncle George said that there were eight or nine young ones as a rule in a harvest-mouse’s nest. “What will become of these wee mice when the corn is ripe?” Tom asked. “They will perhaps be grown up and able to take care of themselves by that time, Tom,” said Uncle George. “The harvest-mouse stores up corn in its nest. Before winter comes it makes a hole in the ground. Here it sleeps through most of the winter and spring. It wakes up from time to time and feeds upon its store of grains.” “It is much smaller and browner than our house-mouse,” said Frank. “Yes, Frank, it is our smallest four-footed animal. We have many kinds of mice in this country. The brown rat is the largest and the harvest-mouse is the smallest of our mouse family.” “How does it manage to slide down the wheat stalk so quickly without falling off?” Tom asked. “It can use its long tail as well as its feet for climbing,” his uncle answered. “When it wishes to get to the ground it just coils its little tail round the stalk and slides down.” Questions and Exercises. 1. Name some flowers that grow among the corn in summer and in autumn. 2. Describe the Rat. 3. Do you know any other animals that have teeth like the rat? 4. What other animals, besides the harvest-mouse, store up food for the winter? [Illustration: HARVEST TIME] [Illustration: THE SQUIRREL] V.—HARVEST TIME. “They are very busy here,” said Uncle George, as he went into the field with Frank, Tom, and Dolly.