Gary Dawes, age 17., of Trout Run, Pennsylvania, for his question:

Where did the house mouse come from?

The timid little house mouse is not a native American. He came here on ships from Europe where ho had been living in hiding for many centuries. He seems to be a fugitive by nature, always more than willing to keep out of sight. For this reason we are not sure which ship first brought him here. He may have been on the Santa Maria with Columbus. He may have been on the Mayflower.

At any rate, a large number of mice and rats did arrive at about the time of the American Revolution. People began to notice them for the first time. Sad to say, we have been noticing them ever since.

The mouse is not even a native of Western Europe. It is believed that he came originally from Eurasia, the territory of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. He became a world traveler as a stowaway on caravans and ships.