Phillip Hayes, age 10, of  Bennington, Vt., for his question:

HOW BIG IS A DORMOUSE?

A dormouse is a three inch long animal that looks like a small squirrel. If you have several of the tiny creatures, you have dormice, not dormouses.

Most of us know about the dormouse from Lewis Carrol's story "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Dormice are well known for their sleepy ways, and when cold weather arrives, they stock a nest with food and then hibernate for the winter.

In Carrol's story, a humorous description was given of a dormouse that could not be kept awake at a tea party.

Dormice are rodents and closely related to mice and rats. They live in trees and bushes in Europe, Africa and Asia. They hunt for food at night and eat berries, grains and nuts.

A dormouse has fine, silky fur, big black eyes and a pointed nose. At the end of its three inch long body, it has a three inch tail.